Whether Prisons Exacerbate or Improve the Mental Health of Those It Contains - Essay Example

The general conditions of prisons and prisoners in many countries continue to be a vexed issue among many persons in the society. It leads to a number of debates and raises a variety of pertinent questions. Whether incarceration helps to stem crime or contributes to the increasing crime problem in some societies it is worth discussing and researching. One age old problem that continues to affect the incarcerated is that of mental health. This essay will examine contemporary data to determine if prisons exacerbate or improve the mental health of those it contains. Crime and criminality is as old as the history of man. The society’s way of dealing with criminals, however, has changed over the ages and varies from society to society. Crime is recognized as an integral part of the social fabric of the society. French sociologist Emile Durkheim argued that crime is normal and is necessary for society. According to Durkheim one of the benefits of crime is that it ‘establishes and clarifies the moral boundaries of a society’ (Henry & Lainer, 2001). From a historical point of view imprisonment was designed not only as a form of punishment but to separate those guilty of criminal acts from the general population. In ancient societies and in some parts of contemporary societies the guilty is locked away for life or is rewarded by death. Imprisonment, therefore, is not a new phenomenon. In ancient Egypt and as recorded in the Bible, Joseph the Hebrew slave was placed in prison by the pharaoh of the day and was ordered to work while incarcerated. Many stories are also told of prisoners in Ancient Rome and in more recent times with the persecution of Christians and other religious activists. Different methods of imprisonments have been used. In some ancient societies, for example, prisoners used to be locked up in dungeons. In modern society a considerable part of the general population is locked up in penal institutions. Worldwide there are ten million persons who are under imprisonment with the majority being in the United States, China and Russia (Maeyer, 2005). Prison reform, however, came under the microscope when the prison population increased dramatically as a result of many social changes in society. Countries enacted new bills and policies that influenced the prison system. Some of those policies fuelled the increase of the prison population. Sentencing reforms in the United States led to a great increase in the rates of incarceration (Morris & Rothman, 1998). One of the problems that contributes to the mental conditions of prisoners is the solitary confinement of prisoners with mental illnesses (Metzner & Fellner, 2010). Psychologically the action of being locked away by oneself can even be detrimental to persons who are mentally strong. According to Metzner and Fellner, ‘Isolation can be as clinically distressing as physical torture’ (p. 104). They pointed out that prison conditions play a large part in exacerbating the mental health of inmates. In the United States alone thousands of prisoners are living in conditions that are detrimental to the psychological health. Especially for those persons in maximum security prisons the opportunities for social interaction and brain stimulating activities are very few and in many cases non-existent. Metzner and Fellner emphasized that, Isolation can be psychologically harmful to any prisoner, with the nature and severity of the impact depending on the individual, the duration, and particular conditions (e.g., access to natural light, books, or radio). Psychological effects can include anxiety, depression, anger, cognitive disturbances, perceptual distortions, obsessive thoughts, paranoia and psychosis. (p. 104) To this end many human rights organizations have been agitation for changes in the prison system that would help to improve the mental health of persons within them. In looking at whether prisons exacerbate or improve the mental health of prisoners it is important to consider the social backgrounds of prisoners within the system. Many prisoners come from unstable homes and families. A number of factors affect their mental health. Overcrowding is one of these factors. Sometimes first time offenders are housed with repeat offenders and hardened criminals. Some civic organizations have also been concerned with the number of mentally unstable persons who are forced into the prison system. It has been revealed that as many as 72% of male prisoners and 70% of female prisoners in the United Kingdom suffer from two or more mental health disorders (Natale, 2010). It is felt that prisoners with petty offences are being sent to institutions that only make them worse. This does not mean that the majority of prisoners suffer from some mental impairment before getting to prisons. It shows, nevertheless, that while there are many prisoners who suffer from some underlying mental or psychological abnormality prison conditions can easily worsen the mental state of those of even the very mental and psychological balanced person. In many cases the type of crimes reflects the economic background of the country. In some countries crimes against property is the major offence. In the case of Portugal this represents 42% of offenders, 45% of offenders in Russia and 29% of offenders in New Zealand. On the other hand 43% of female inmates in Sao Paulo Brazil have been incarcerated on drug charges (Maeyer, 2005). The overall report reveals that murder and other violent crimes are not the primary reasons that send persons to prisons. Especially in developing countries many women and children have been incarcerated because of their involvement in drugs. According to a UNESCO report women in Brazilian prisons are the ‘poor persons among the poor.’ Statistics proved that in parts of Brazil 20% of the babies born in prison return as prisoners before they get to twenty years of age. In developed countries many of the prisoners are from underprivileged families. In the United Kingdom for example 21% female prisoners were foreign nationals (‘Female Prisoners’ n. d.). Many of them were locked up because they sought to improve their economical status by committing illegal acts. Being imprisoned in a foreign country and in many instances away from families and friends can take its toll on a person’s mental state. Within the British prisons statistics show that 80% of them have been diagnosed with mental problems. Of this figure 66% show symptoms of neurotic disorder such as poor sleeping and anxiety (‘Female Prisoners’ n. d.). In some countries such as the United States ethnic minorities and the socially and culturally disadvantaged form a significant part of the prison population. As Davis (2003) revealed, “I have seen the population of U.S. prisons increase with such rapidity that many people in black, Latino, and Native American communities now have a far greater chance of going to prison than of getting a decent education.” (p. 10) Poverty, lack of education, unstable family life are some of the reasons why some persons have turned to crime. For many of them the already deprived living conditions have contributed to some levels of mental instability that is worsened by prison conditions. Many prisoners also come from a background of abuse and violence. Incarceration for the majority of cases adds to a long list of the unfortunate situations that have happened in their lives. The Office for National Statistics in the United Kingdom has reported that statistics collected among prison inmates show that there is a strong link between social deprivation, mental ill health and imprisonment. A significant number of prisoners have made suicide attempts in recent years. They feel that the problem can be corrected if the prisons have a better method for screening mental illnesses (BBC, 1999). There are some offenders who commit crimes while under the influence of narcotic substances. Drug addicts will suffer tremendously from incarceration because of the inability to get their normal supply to suit their drug habits. A person who for example, steals to maintain his drug habit should be sent to proper rehabilitative facilities instead of being sent to prison. In many cases the prison system fail to observe or maybe even care about the health conditions of the inmates. The authorities feel that once the person is locked away he will no longer be a threat to society. Although history and statistics have shown that incarceration does more harm than good for a larger part of the prison population it is possible that conditions can be improved to help the mental health of inmates. The Scandinavian countries for many years have a prison system that is less severe and more helpful to prisoners than other countries in the world. One of the reasons for this level of comfort is the relatively smaller prison population. Norway, Finland and Sweden have the lowest imprisonment rates among European countries. In Norway for example, the prison population is approximately 3,500 and they are housed in fifty prisons (Wilson, 2008). In addition to that many of the conditions serve to improve the mental health of persons. For example, two years ago it was reported in many news media around the world that the prisoners of Bastoy Prison in Norway were encouraged to participate in leisurely activities such as cross-country skiing, fishing, tennis and horseback riding. No one would feel comfortable with prisoners living among the general population. It is expected that persons who are a threat to society face the consequences that comes with criminal practices. What should be avoided, however, is to place such persons into conditions that would exacerbate their mental health. Inhumane and degrading conditions only defeat the purpose of rehabilitation. While one has to admit that there are many factors that contributes to criminality in the society it must also be considered that incarceration can bring harm to those within the prison system. Many data and statistics point to the mental health issues among prisoners but the possibility exist that prison can have a more positive impact on mental health. Henry, S. & Lanier, M. (2001). What is Crime?: Controversies over the nature of crime and what to do about it. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Morris, N. & Rothman, D. (1995). The Oxford history of the prison: the practice of punishment in western society. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press. Natale, L. (2010). Factsheet: Prisons in England and Wales. CIVITAS Institute for the Study of Civil Society 2010. Retrieved from http://www.civitas.org.uk/crime/factsheet-Prisons.pdf. Davis, A. (2003). Are prisons obsolete? Toronto: Publishers Group Canada. Female Prisoners n. d. Retrieved from http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/adviceandsupport/prison_life/femaleprisoners/ Metzner, J. & Fellner, J. (2010). Solitary Confinement and Mental Illness in U.S. Prisons: A Challengefor Medical Ethics. Journal of American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. 38:1 104-108. Maeyer, M. (2005). Literacy for special target groups: prisoners. UNESCO. Health Suicide and prison closely linked. (1999). Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/405259.stm Wilson, D. (2008, October 18). Prison: the Scandinavian exception. Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/18/prisonsandprobation-norway Read More