Effects of Incarceration on PTSD

Introduction to the Problem and Research Goals

The problem is that the prison population is growing at an alarming rate, and has reached a population density, unparalleled in the history of the United States of America. This population presents multiple concerns to society, including the possibility that the prisoner may suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a consequence of incarceration experiences. This diagnosis may also be exacerbated by pre-prison experiences. Studies regarding effects of incarceration on PTSD are lacking. The goal of this research is to investigate the effects of incarceration on PTSD and to examine pre-prison experiences that may contribute to this effect.

On January 20, 2003, the number of people imprisoned within the Federal Bureau of prisons reached an all time high of 165,005. Currently, over 2.2 million people are confined in state and federal prisons. One in thirty-two United States Citizens are incarcerated or on probation or parole (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2002a). From the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s, the American prison population increased by 84 percent (Bureau of Criminal Justice Statistics, 1997). Per 100 thousand-population, the increase was from 129 to 216. Since the mid-1980s, the prison population has continued to climb, however, at a reduced rate (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2002a). At the state pris

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96, p. 27). It was held further that inmates subjected to isolation were psychologically harmed by the realization that guards held the power to impose such punishment on them. Thus it can be theorized that the incarceration experience has the potential to be experienced as a trauma, severe enough to result in PTSD. Additional aspects of the incarceration experience may also be considered traumatic enough to warrant a PTSD diagnosis. Studies of Incarceration and Psychiatric Disorders Ditton (1999) reported findings presented by the Bureau of Justice Statistics which noted that of state prison inmates, a mental condition was more likely to be incarcerated for violent offences, compared to other inmates (53% compared to 46%). These inmates were also more likely to have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the offence and were twice as likely to have been homeless. Over three-quarters of the mentally ill inmates had previous sentences. Of this group it was also found that over 30% of the males and 78% of the females reported prior physical or sexual abuse and 61% from State prisons and 41% from local jails reported prior treatment for a mental condition. The Florida Corrections Commission Annual Report (1999)
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Approximate Word count = 9327
Approximate Pages = 37 (250 words per page)

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