The Psychological Effects Of Incarceration: What Happens In The Minds Of Prisoners?
The fact of being imprisoned and deprived of liberty It brings with it important psychological consequences. These can develop a chain of affective, cognitive, emotional and perceptual reactions and distortions, all caused by emotional tension within the prison environment. Furthermore, a capacity for adaptation and resilience is required to withstand the dispossession of familiar and personal external symbols.
In this article we will see what are the psychological effects of incarceration and the way in which this situation affects the minds of the inmates.
There is a variable called imprisonment that intervenes in the behavior of inmates. It is the process by which a person unconsciously assumes the code of conduct and values of the prison subculture as a result of being in direct contact with it.
A differentiation can be made between superficial imprisonment, which is the minimum necessary for a person to adapt to the prison environment, and deep imprisonment, which would be institutionalization. This occurs when the acquired behaviors and ideas surpass the individuality of the inmate.
On the other hand, there are factors that determine the degree of imprisonment in individuals:
Types of criminals
Another classification regarding the degree to which prisonization affects has to do with the type of criminal to which one belongs:
It’s his first time in prison, maintains prosocial behaviors which is why he refuses to adhere to the prison code. Incarceration is a huge impact.
2. Occasional offender
He is an individual who has no problem living by society’s norms, but the moment the opportunity arises, he commits some crime. Normally he tries to minimize the act and justify it.
3. Habitual offender
Crime is like your lifestyle ; They consider that illegal activities give them greater satisfaction than legal ones. They are already completely familiar with the prison rules.
It could be said that the longer the time spent in prison, the greater the degree of imprisonment. While this may be true, it is also influenced by the fact that the inmate knows that he will soon be released from prison and return to society. So he can begin to recover values and attitudes forgotten or not applied within prison, to prepare for reintegration and get your life back
The psychological effects of being in prison
Now, moving on to the psychological effects of the inmates, these are the following:
1. Anxiety
The level at which this appears depends on the circumstances in which the imprisonment occurs and the personality of the subject himself. They face the unknown.
2. Depersonalization
Loss of your individuality The fact that upon entering prison, he is assigned a number, that is what his person is lowered to. Furthermore, he becomes part of a group rejected by society.
3. Loss of privacy
It arises from forced coexistence with other inmates. They have little or no time to focus on themselves. This is aggravated when the environment is violent and your safety is at stake.
It occurs due to not meeting one’s expectations or disappointing the image one had of oneself, and due to the fact of being imprisoned. However, There are many others whose self-esteem is not negatively affected since they feel satisfied leading a life of crime.
5. Lack of control over your own life
It occurs due to a certain impossibility of making personal, family or social decisions; Yes, there may be a margin of decision, but the range of options is not large. What is most limited is the inmate’s control over the evolution of external events. This situation causes frustration
6. Absence of expectations
There is few expectations in the life of the inmate beyond his desire for freedom People are conditioned by a recurring idea: all the time that was lost and the quickest way to get it back.
7. Changes in sexuality
There may be frustrations about not having the usual sexual routines dysfunctions may appear and the normal development of adequate practice may be blocked.
The need to understand the prisoner
An analysis of personal history and life circumstances that have led the person to commit a crime is required in order to give them an optimal therapeutic approach that takes into account all aspects of their personality. This is how the objective of the prison can be directly met: a reeducation of deficiencies or lost values and a subsequent positive reintegration into society.
It is essential that there is quality intervention by professionals, specifically psychologists, to promote their social reintegration. The prison environment can affect inmates greatly and it is important that, before they are released, they recover their positive essence, rebuild values and reunite with themselves.
It is not enough to make general proposals to address the issue, you have to have an individualized plan with each one since they have different personalities and needs. Even though they are criminals, they are still human beings.
