Prison Mental Health Essay

The United States Prison System's Effect on Inmate Mental Health

Nikhita S. Natraj

Department of English, Minnetonka High School

English 9HC

Ms. Peterson

March 6, 2023

Abstract

In the past couple of decades, there has been growing information supporting the claim that the United States prison system is causing mental health issues in its inmates. The two main systemic issues causing these mental health issues are overcrowding and solitary confinement. Both can cause Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, and depression in prisoners. In addition, other matters can affect these psychological problems. PTSD is primarily influenced by trauma and violence. In contrast, depression and anxiety are mainly caused by isolation and the lack

Solitary confinement involves locking a prisoner in their cell for 23 hours a day and can cause various damaging effects on one's mental health. Haney (2001) created an extensive list of side effects due to solitary confinement, which includes: "cognitive dysfunction (confusion, memory loss, ruminations); irritability and anger; lethargy, helplessness, and hopelessness; chronic depression; self-mutilation and/or suicidal behavior; anxiety and panic attacks; emotional breakdowns; hallucinations, psychosis, and paranoia." Haney (2001) continues that these symptoms are so extreme that "there are few if any forms of imprisonment that produce so many indices of psychological trauma and symptoms of psychopathology in those persons subjected to it," really illustrating how horrific solitary confinement is. Solitary confinement happens to be worse in the United States than in any other country, with Western, B., Simes, J. T., & Bradner, K. (2021) noting that inmates in the United States are often in solitary confinement for months or even years at a time. However, European countries have laws restricting the length of solitary confinement to a few weeks. Western, B., Simes, J. T., & Bradner, K. (2021) continues, "around 20% of the US incarcerated population are held in solitary confinement in a year, with about half of those confined for 30 days or more." Retired Supreme Court Justice

Belet et al. (2020) found that it is present in 17.8% of male and 40.1% of female inmates. PTSD occurs when individuals are exposed to a particularly damaging event, also known as trauma. Two types of trauma can cause PTSD: Type I and Type II. When an individual experiences an "unanticipated single event" that results in trauma, it is classified as Type I. A trauma that "results from long-standing or repeated exposure to multiple events" is considered to be Type II (Listwan et al., 2010, p. 1142). Listwan et al. (2010) continue, "research specific to prison inmates finds that they are more likely to have higher levels of trauma exposure." This means that the prison environment has been found to increase the rates of PTSD in inmates. Situations such as violence, which can occur between prisoners or guards and prisoners, typically cause Type I trauma, while deteriorating prison conditions cause Type II. Wildra (2020) found that the most common cause of PTSD in prisons is the violence inmates witness which "results in post-traumatic stress symptoms, like anxiety, depression, avoidance, hypersensitivity, hypervigilance, suicidality, flashbacks, and difficulty with emotional regulation." This violence impacts prisoners so much that they often feel safer in private spaces like their cells than in public areas like showers (Wildra, 2020). As one can see, Post