Mental Health Incarcerated

Is Mental Health and Wellbeing Valued Less in Prisons?

The short answer of course is no, but many still undermine the needs of those currently incarcerated and misunderstand the purpose of detainees ‘serving time’. But just before we explore the headline topic, let’s observe the following:

• Around 11,000,000 people are currently imprisoned internationally, with the majority being male

• Within the UK, 0.088% of the population are currently imprisoned, of which 79,749 are men and 3,869 are women, according to a statistic stated in a 2018 government publication.

The hyper-masculine environment that prison fosters has a detrimental impact on men’s health risks during incarceration.

Most men who are currently imprisoned have already faced childhood adversity; this includes domestic violence, the loss of a parent or loved one, moving through the child welfare system, and much more. In fact, 50% have reported a history of childhood sexual abuse, physical and/or emotional abuse.

Whilst there is evidence of pre-existing mental illness, the prison environment provokes further challenges through the regimentation, confinement, and social isolation of prisoners. Such an environment generates negativity in many ways, one prisoner in HMP & YOI Parc Bridgend describes that:

“Jail can be scary: the unfamiliar surroundings, the loud noises, and a routine that revolves around time...”

Another stated:

“One of the greatest hardships of prison is missing out on family events, and the most difficult can be the death and funeral of a loved one”

Mental health issues have been shown to cripple the rehabilitation of inmates. A report by Jakub Krajewski from Unlocked Graduates highlights the impact of a prison’s toxic environment in which ‘the prison code’ is conformed to by many inmates, and is prioritised over their own well-being.

But what is the prison code? It can be described as "a set of values that positively and negatively sanction inmates according to a particular individual or a specific group of inmates". This 'code' is governed by prisoners and is physically enforced, unspoken, and unwritten. Anything said or done must take head of these rules and if disobeyed, can implicate an individual.

During his time learning within prison, Jakub found it hard to earn his inmates' trust - most inmates did not receive him warmly. But over several weeks and through continuous failed attempts of conversation, the prisoners began to trust Jakub with their experiences and spoke about sensitive topics like childhood trauma, their years of substance abuse, or time spent in care.

I found this strangely relatable to 'the everyday-man'; most are naturally defensive about their past and current challenges, but if given a reliable, non-judgemental outlet to confide in, they might just get it off their chest. And whilst there isn’t an ‘prison code’ to stop men from talking in the outside world, there is an unspoken stigma and societal pressure that ensures men’s emotions remain suppressed and stop them from seeking aid.

After Jake's time with the inmates, he rallied over 20 prisoners into committing to Movember’s mental health awareness challenge and raised over £500 in donations for the Movember Foundation. He also set a community running challenge with the goal of running the equivalent distance of 120 marathons across the whole prison. This challenge saw inmates who wouldn’t normally leave their cell contribute by running daily, and even created a healthy competition across multiple wings of the prison. Despite the ‘prison code’ and the prison’s hostile environment, a small community of men developed who were more open with each other and channelled their energy into a good cause whilst bettering themselves. The frontline staff also showed overwhelming support. Jakub saw this as massive win.

The stress and stigma toward men with prison experience is severely understated. It has been reported that higher rates of alcoholism and substance abuse occur within incarcerated men, with an increasing emergence of mood disorders such as depression or dysthymia in comparison to the general population. The prioritisation of wellbeing and healthcare within the correctional system is further disadvantaged due to diminishing budgets, the large volume of inmates vs the low capacity of prisons, and high turnover rates.

The correctional system should do what it says on the tin. Anyone who goes into prison should come out a better person, not worse than they went in. Currently, the system is designed almost like a cycle and must be broken, as one report found that in the UK, 75% of ex-inmates re-offend within 9 years of release, and 39.3% within the first twelve months. Time served in incarceration should be devout to addressing the reason they offended, learning new skills, obtaining new qualifications, and gaining work experience to help them reintegrate with society.

The Scandinavian correctional system is by far the best example of what it should be. They take the form of 'open prisons' in which detainees are allowed to live life like regular citizens which have seen phenomenal results. Read this article by Doran Larson from ‘The Atlantic’ here for more details – a very good read and proposes how prisons in the UK and USA can adapt!

When researching this topic, I was pleased to see that others hold importance on this matter. The Mental Health Foundation launched several resources including a guide on how to look after your mental health in prison. Another organisation called The Prison Reform Trust UK campaigns to key figures, policymakers, and the public to create a “just, humane & effective prison system” and aim to better prison environments and those within them. Some of their work has led to the funding of better prison environments and rehabilitation facilities which you can read about here.

This is a controversial subject for a lot of people, and most would argue that there are bigger problems in the world currently than funding better environments for prisoners. But for those who’ve had a rough start to life and have made stupid mistakes… Don’t they deserve a second chance? And is it fair that the correctional system reinforces a negative mindset and lifestyle that can remain with someone until death? And what about those who serve life sentences? All food for thought…

What are your views on this topic?

To be clear, the crimes for which people are imprisoned vary in severity, and the mental health and rehabilitation of prisoners this blog addresses are those who have a hope of re-integrating with society.

Sources:

1. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/how-look-after-your-mental-health-prison

2. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-population-figures-2018

3. https://unlockedgrads.org.uk/news-item/mens-mental-health-a-real-barrier-to-prisoners-rehabilitation/

4. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/publications/how-look-after-your-mental-health-prison#paragraph-18501

5. https://prisonreformtrust.org.uk

6. https://policymogul.com/key-updates/23413/-500-million-boost-to-create-thousands-of-new-prison-places?topic-id=all

7. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj1roDG1MH6AhVTe8AKHbJMDNsQFnoECA4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgtr.ukri.org%2Fprojects%3Fref%3DES%252FK002023%252F1&usg=AOvVaw117Qg97mnJi30exn2yTu57

8. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/09/why-scandinavian-prisons-are-superior/279949/