By Kenjuan Congo Jr. Published in Issue 8 of Paper Chained in December 2022.
One can look at prison grief from a social-psychological perspective. Social-psychology is the relationship between the mind and the environment in which it operates. According to Webster’s Dictionary, grief is “intense emotional suffering caused by loss, disaster [or] misfortune.” The social-psychology of prison grief can be defined as the relationship between the mind and penitentiary as it relates to intense emotional suffering.
The unequivocal intent of the American “justice system” is to serve as an impetus for grief. By-products of the system include long prison sentences, three-strike laws and mandatory minimums, in addition to an overall ‘tough on crime’ social philosophy. By levying a time-based sentence, the justice system attempts to dole out a punishment in terms of days and years, which equivocates offense with duration. Of said sentence, American prisons operate under the retributive approach of pain, suffering, anguish, and grief for the offender through the deprivation of liberty. The defunding of programs and services, distance from families, overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and poor medical care are but a few indicators of the foundational and ideological purposes of U.S. penal institutions. The American criminal justice system is intentionally constructed to evoke grief from the offender. It’s unfortunate that these prison conditions are more likely to invoke rather than deter future criminal behaviors. Research has been conducted on prison’s socially constructed criminogenic impact, looking at incarceration as a driver of crime and violence. Offenders become more criminally oriented as a result of their prison experience, particularly as it relates to the intense and untreated emotional suffering. A prisoner’s grief is the by-product of inflicted shame that ranges from humiliating strip searches, being forced to use the bathroom and undress in front of each other, and other dehumanizing actions. This shameful grief also comes directly from correctional officers diminishing humanity by threats of violence, name calling, threats of parole denial, insulting visitors, tossing books, stepping on clothes, and turning the deprivation of dignity into a game in order to pass time while still on duty. The feeling of shame is a reality of prison life, causing grief among us.
In the field of psychology, shame is widely recognized as a producer of violence. In such cases, violence is used as a means to resist rising feelings of shame, replacing shame with a sense of pride through the use of physical force. This may mean a student disrespected in class asserts respectability by fighting, or a man who is made fun of may seek reprisal. Each individual’s grief comes from a deep sorrow from the loss of respect or dignity, thus the desire to displace the emotion through the use of physical force. Violence is used to exchange shame and grief, for pride and dignity. The prisoner’s grief is still present when re-entering society. The individual is now carrying a socially produced mental state of inadequacy and worthlessness, making them more susceptible to replicate criminal behaviors. Prisons produce a psychological condition in which violence becomes more attractive than rational thought.
Another form of prison grief is deep sorrow from the loss of safety. The aforementioned emotional response is due to the violent conditions of American prisons. There is physical, emotional, and mental abuse inflicted on the incarcerated from other incarcerated people or correctional staff themselves. This abuse ranges from rape, assault, threats, verbal alienation, and provocation. Unfortunately, reporting this type of behavior puts the prisoner at even greater risk; thus, the vast majority of these situations go unreported. The normalizing of violence with no protection puts the prisoner in a state of grief through the loss of physical, emotional, and psychological safety. Upon release, the ex-prisoner has spent years – if not decades – in a place where violence is normalized. This socially produced hyper-vigilance and fear puts the person in a more vulnerable condition as it relates to the use of physical violence.
When a former prisoner says, “Don’t walk up behind me”, it is not a statement of toughness or strength, but the result of a psychologically fragile state. Putting offenders through years of trauma is a risk to society as a whole. The psychological ‘solutions’ of the Department of Corrections (DOC) are minuscule at best. One is told to keep a journal, or do breathing exercises, only to be thrown back into the same environment that produced the problem. Sadly, going back to the psychologist with the same mental problem puts one at risk to isolation for ‘safety’ reasons, which only exacerbates the underling condition.
Separating the human mind from its environment is what makes the DOC’s psychological approach limited. It is true that there is a need for short-term relief from the socially induced grief and psychological trauma of incarceration. The immediate remedies should be recognized as temporary treatment, as it relates to the necessity of a healthy psychological environment for sustainable mental health. Once short-term treatment is given, the prisoner can be educated on the root causes of their socio-psychological problems. When one is aware of the overall problem, one is in a better position to recognize and manage emotional impulses in a constructive manner. After the prisoner is given immediate short-term relief, is able to recognize root causes, and develop the skills to cope effectively, they are able to link their mental health with social reality. The prisoner will be able to work constructively with groups and organizations, to address the social plights inflicted on them that results in their psychological distress. By being an active participant in their own life and destiny, they restore a sense of pride, respect, and dignity in a socially positive way.
One possible solution is a coalition between prisoners and social groups to address the socio-psychological needs of the incarcerated and those re-entering society. This coalition must be free of DOC input, which would tend to bias the treatment options in favor of punitive measures.
Kenjuan Congo, Jr #ND7568
Smart Communications/PA DOC SCI-CHESTER PO Box 33028, St Petersburg, FL 33733 USA
