Traumatic Experiences in Correctional Facilities:   Who Has it Worse?  Correctional Staff or Those who are Incarcerated

Traumatic Experiences in Correctional Facilities:   Who Has it Worse?  Correctional Staff or Those who are Incarcerated

When thinking of what it would be like to be incarcerated, the lay person can base their perception on any number of popular televisions shows or movies; abusive staff, gangs, stabbings, rapes and a pervasive culture of violence.  While these things do occur, in some facilities much more than others, many short term, low custody sentences may not experience these things firsthand.  However, the constant fear of the above referenced items coupled with poor (if not disgusting) food quality, strip searches, group showers, unsanitary conditions, lack of access to family/friends, lack of sleep due to keys, doors, and cell checks, and reduced/delayed access to medical and mental health may in fact lead to greater negative emotions and trauma.  Any piece or combination thereof can lead to PTSD upon release back into society.  In addition, “Other factors are interwoven into the pathogenesis of this condition, including the many risk factors that underlie the behavioral and thought patterns of many criminals. These include childhood traumas such as extreme poverty, child abuse by their parents or caregivers, experiences of neglect, physical and sexual abuse, as well as other forms of mistreatment” (Thomas, 2019).

According to various research projects:

• Even before entering a prison or jail, incarcerated people are more likely than those on the outside to have experiencedabuse and trauma (Thomas, L, 2019).
• An extensive 2014 studyfound that 30% to 60% of men in state prisons had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), compared to 3% to 6% of the general male population (Wolff, N, et al, 2014).
• 7% of womenin state prisons experienced childhood abuse, compared to 12 to 17% of all adult women in the U.S.. (BJA, 1999).

The below chart is from the Prison Policy Initiative article titled No escape: The trauma of witnessing violence in Prison:

The above charts and studies, however, only examined the effects of correctional environments on those who were incarcerated inside by judicial order and did not consider those who work inside the facilities, often for long and mandated shifts.  Not as many studies could be found on correctional staff related trauma.  But trauma and stress amongst staff can easily be imagined: reviewing horrific case files; witnessing traumatic events; mandatory overtime; role ambiguity; and constant disrespect by the inmate population.  “According to a 2015 article by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, correctional employees experience higher rates of stress-related illnesses that contribute to low levels of job satisfaction, which has been linked to burnout and is thought to lead to compassion fatigue” (Pittaro, M., 2020). 

In addition, a study conducted and published this year found that correctional officers self-reported significantly higher exposure to potentially psychologically traumatic events than other medical and wellness workers. Moreover, correctional staff also self-reported greater rates of symptoms of mental disorders, including PTSD, social anxiety, panic disorder, and depression, among others (Fusco, N., et al, 2021). 

Based on the above referenced data and numerous additional uncited studies, it is evident from the research and probably obvious to the average law abiding civilian, that both correctional staff and inmates are exposed to the unimaginable and unfathomable behind the walls.  Typically, opposing sides prevent the evolution and availability of growth for each of these populations:  those who may believe that inmates deserve this and should not be afforded anything when being punished and those that may feel that correctional staff are tough and know what they sign up for.  Acknowledging the equality in the two groups and making available trauma informed approaches to care for the inmate populations and programming for self-care for staff is critical to reduce these numbers and ensure smooth transitions for each in society.  The truth is, that nearly all inmates will one day be released into society and, in addition, will be existing with us.  Moreover, staff as well are living amongst us, on their often-limited time off, and should as well be able to ‘leave it at the gate’ in terms of their work stressors.  To that note, similarly, one a sentence and work shift is complete, any individual should be, and we should want them to be, functioning, healthy and productive members of the society in which we all live. 

References:

Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).  1999.  Prior Abuse Reported by Inmates and Probationers. https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/parip.pdf. 

Fusco, N., Ricciardello, Jamshidi, Carleton, Barnim and Hilton.  (February 15, 2021).  When Our Work Hits Home: Trauma and Mental Disorders in Correctional Officers and Other Correctional Workers.  National Institutes of Health.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7917131/. 

Pittaro, Michael.  March 24, 2020).  Correctional Officers and Compassion Fatigue.  Psychology Today.  https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/the-crime-and-justice-doctor/202003/correctional-officers-and-compassion-fatigue. 

Thomas, Dr. Liji.  (February 27, 2019).  Prisoner Post Traumatic Stress.  Medical Life Sciences News.  https://www.news-medical.net/health/Prisoner-Post-Traumatic-Stress.aspx.   

Widra, Emily. (December 2, 2020).  No escape: The trauma of witnessing violence in Prison.  Prison Policy Initiative.  https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2020/12/02/witnessing-prison-violence/#lf-fnref:1. 

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