A Brief Note On Post Traumatic Stress Disorders In Prisons

405 Words2 Pages

People in the judicial system should pay more attention to prisoners with PTSD, and other mental health issues. According to Prisonpolicy.org “Violence behind bars is inescapable and traumatizing, and unavoidable by design.” The way prisons are built makes it so that there are few safe spaces a prisoner can sneak away, and hide in. These prisoners need more attention and care to support their health. Before we dive into the topic of prisoners with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, we need to first know what it is. According to mayoclinic.org, “PTSD is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.” PTSD can affect anyone, for whatever reason. So why should people treat any prisoner differently than any other civilian? …show more content…

There are many documentaries about violent outbursts, and riots in prison, but what a lot of documentaries don't show is the aftermath of those incidents on other prisoners' mental health. According to PrisonPolicy.org, “People often ‘feel safer’ in their private spaces, such as cells or a supervised environment”. Even though prisoners can “feel safer in their cells” They are still exposed to whoever they may share a cell with, or sounds of violence from their unit. According to PrisonPolicy.org “incarcerated people are more likely than those on the outside to have experienced abuse and trauma. An extensive 2014 study found that 30% to 60% of men in state prisons had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), compared to 3% to 6% of the general male population.” It's obvious that prisoners have elevated levels of PTSD and other mental health conditions that are going on, but PTSD triggers also need to be taken, and accounted