How Being in Prison Affects Mental Health

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for this study. It was found that many prisoners suffered from mental health issues that related to their personalities and personality changes. Prisoners often entered prison without a significant mental health issue, but later developed them while being in prison. It was found that the events in prison and prison conditions such as confinement cause the prisoners to become mentally affected. It was also found that prisoners often find it hard to fit into society when they are released from prison. The main goal that is made when prisoners visit a criminal psychologist while in prison is surprisingly to gain a sense of self-respect and more confidence.

Analysis

After analysing all of this information it was found that most of the information was similar to the information found in the three sources from the literature review. Many prisoners enter prison with schizophrenia. These prisoners heard voices that would tell them to commit crimes and would bully them. They then get confused and think the voices will go away if they do what the voices tell them to do. However, the other prisoners often commit crimes without having any specific or pronounced psychiatric condition, but leave prison with a mental health issue. The mental health issues that are prevalent in these prisoners include depression, drug and alcohol abuse and various types of anxiety, including social and separation anxiety. What makes them develop these mental health issues is based off of many different things, including events in prison and the prison environment. The events that occur in prison that affect a prisoner’s mental health include rape, physical abuse from other prisoners and physical and mental abuse from the guards. Another factor that affects a prisoner’s mental health is the prison confinements. The rape, physical and mental abuse can create social anxiety in a prisoner. It can also create an inner conflict with them and lowers their confidence and self-esteem. The prison confinements cause prisoners to go “insane” as the psychologist stated. The psychologist paraphrased what a prisoner had once said to them stating that the prisoner felt like hitting his head against the wall and often resorted to using drugs to pass the time. The prisoners also do not get a lot of time to talk to their friends and family, which creates separation anxiety and makes the prisoners more frustrated and angry at the prison guards. The prisoners tend to disrespect the guards due to the strict prison environments and rules and they also do not feel like obeying them. When it comes to treatment goals, the first step is to acknowledge that they are. The second step is to figure out how to avoid being violent in situations that promote violence. Finally, the prisoner has to gain a sense of self-respect, which is often gained when they get an education while being in prison.

Conclusion

To conclude, the prison system can negatively affect certain prisoners and can negatively affect the mental health of a prisoner. Prisoners often leave prison with a psychiatric condition that they did not have when they first entered. When these prisoners leave prison, they find it hard to adapt into society, because they have gotten used to living in the confined space with strict rules. They are also viewing the world and their old lives through the eyes of someone who has had first-hand experience with the prison lifestyle and who now has a mental health issue. The prisoners get confused and often cannot understand why they do not feel like they fit in. They end up feeling inferior and have a lower self-esteem. In order to make themselves feel better and feel more superior, they commit more crimes and land themselves back in prison where their mental health deteriorates even more.

Personal Reflection

This research study helped me get the answers to questions that I often wondered about. Some of the information that was told to me was quite surprising, such as the fact that part of the treatment goal is to develop a better self-esteem. One thing that I should keep in mind and that others should to, is that being in the confined spaces of prison is the punishment for a criminal’s crimes. We sometimes think that prison isn’t so bad and punishing, and so some people often think that some prisoners should receive a greater punishment such as physical abuse while they are in prison. What we do not realize is that being in a confined space and losing control over every aspect of your life can totally ruin your mental health and your self-esteem. This study helped me see the prison system in a different way.

Further Study

If I were to do further study on this topic, I would research ways to make prison less traumatic, especially for prisoners who have committed a small crime such as vandalism. I would also try to find ways for prisoners to be punished, without developing a significant mental health issue. I would also do research on how to reduce the amount of stress that the prison guards are under, as it affects how they treat the prisoners.

Questionnaire

1. Researcher: Do prisoners tend to leave prison with more significant mental health issues than when they entered?

Psychologist: I would say that there are around an equal amount of prisoners that enter with a mental health issue, and without a mental health issue. When prisoners do leave, we do find that a majority of them have a defined mental health issue that was not apparent when they first entered. However, the mental health issues are different in the prisoners that entered with a mental health issue than the ones who entered without a mental health issue.

2. Researcher: Which mental health issue is prevalent among prisoners?

Psychologist: The prisoners that already have a mental health issue when they enter tend to be suffering from schizophrenia. The prisoners that leave prison with a mental health issue usually suffer from depression, social and separation anxiety.

3. Researcher: What events in prison may affect a prisoner’s mental health?

Psychologist: In prison there are many events that can be considered traumatizing to someone who has not been in prison before. These events include being raped by other prison members, being physically abused by these prison members, being physically and mentally abused by the prison guards and witnessing the rape or abuse of other prison