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Prisons are damaging the mental health of inmates and prison staff

August 29, 2003

A study in this week’s BMJ suggests that many aspects of prison life damage the mental health of both prisoners and prison staff and that a better understanding of the prison environment is needed if prisoners are to be successfully rehabilitated into society

The research team set up focus groups in a prison in southern England to look at how the prison environment influences the mental health of prisoners and prison staff. Prisoner and prison staff focus groups were attended by 31 (18 men, 13 women) and 21 (15 men, 6 women) people respectively. The prisoner focus group included sentenced and remand inmates as well as rule 45 prisoners (those at risk from harm from the general population).

Some of the key factors influencing the mental health of prisoners included isolation and lack of mental stimulation, drug misuse, poor relations with prison staff, bullying and a lack of family contact. Prison staff thought that reduced staffing levels, a lack of management support, a negative work culture and worries about their safety all contributed to high levels of stress.

Prisoners also identified a cycle of negative attitudes that exists between staff and prisoners. Prisoners who feel harshly treated often make the prison officers life harder causing more stress.

The authors conclude that factors which cause stress in prisons need to be fully understood so that policy makers can attempt to address the mental health problems facing both prisoners and prison staff. The current trend of increasing prison numbers will exacerbate the problems identified in this study making the long-term rehabilitation of prisoners back in to society an much more difficult task.

British Medical Journal (BMJ)