Mental Health of Prisoners

Zatvorska se populacija povećala za 24% u zadnjih 20 godina te se sada više od 11 milijuna ljudi nalazi u kaznenim institucijama diljem svijeta. Zatvorenici često dolaze u zatvor s brojnim psihijatrijskim poremećajima, od kojih mnogi prolaze neidentificirano zbog nedostatka osoblja i resursa za njihovu provjeru. Prevalencija problema mentalnog zdravlja mnogo je veća među zatvorenicima nego u općoj populaciji, a mnogi od njih pate od dvaju ili više mentalnih poremećaja. Depresija, tjeskoba, PTSP, razni poremećaji ličnosti, zlouporaba alkohola i droga, samo su neki od problema s kojima se susreću. Karakteristike zatvorskog okruženja, poput lišavanja slobode, nedostatka autonomije, prenapučenosti i manjka smislenih aktivnosti, mogu dovesti do pogoršanja mentalnog zdravlja. Uz to, visoka je stopa samoozljeđivanja i samoubojstava, koji čine polovinu svih smrtnih slučajeva u zatvoru. U velikom riziku od razvoja mentalnih bolesti i samoubojstava nalaze se mladi prijestupnici, a više pažnje potrebno je posvetiti i starijima. Iako su štetni učinci zatvora na mentalno zdravlje mnogobrojni, u radu su predstavljeni i razni čimbenici koji dovode do poboljšanja mentalnog zdravlja te do psihološke dobrobiti. Raspravlja se o utjecaju percipirane pravde postupanja sa zatvorenicima na njihovo buduće ponašanje, o prirodi odnosa sa zatvorskim osobljem i drugim zatvorenicima te o utjecaju tih odnosa na prilagodbu na zatvor.The prison population has increased by 24% in the last 20 years and now more than 11 million people are in penitentiaries worldwide. Prisoners often come to prison with numerous psychiatric disorders, many of which go unidentified due to the lack of staff and resources to screen them. The prevalence of mental health problems is much higher among prisoners than in the general population, and many of them suffer from two or more mental disorders. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, various personality disorders, alcohol and drug abuse, are only some of the problems they face. Characteristics of the prison environment, such as deprivation of liberty, lack of autonomy, overcrowding, and lack of meaningful activities, can lead to deterioration of mental health. In addition, there is a high rate of self-harm and suicide, which account for half of all the prison deaths. Young offenders are at a high risk of developing mental illness and committing suicide, and more attention needs to be paid to the elderly too. Although the harmful effects of prisons on mental health are numerous, the paper also presents various factors that lead to improved mental health and psychological well-being. The impact of perceived justice in the treatment of prisoners on their future behavior, the nature of relationships with prison staff and other prisoners, and the impact of these relationships on adjustment to prison are discussed