Assignment 2: Blog Post
Assignment 2: Blog Post
The Trauma of the Incarceration Experience by Mika Deveaux
I wanted talk about “the Trauma of Incarceration by Mika Deveaux. I found his article very compelling and disturbing at the same time. It really is very sad that society adds to the trauma of inmates while incarcerated.
I have never been incarcerated and reading about Mr. Deveaux’s experience is eye opening to the problem that inmates face. Although prison is a punishment and in no way should be a vacation, I don’t think that an individual should be released (if they are released) worst then they entered the prison system. It is very disturbing that the prison system employ offices that would verbally abuse inmates, simply because they have the power to do so. Society has in invertedly created a community within the prison system that fosters, violence and other atrocities.
This quite really stands out to me, “I remain haunted by the memories and images of violence – violence I experienced, violence I witnessed, and violence that I heard or learned about. I can still see the murders I witnessed” (Deveaux,2013). Mr. Deveaux is severely affected by his years in prison. Inmates should not be tortured while serving their sentence, but it seems that as more and more individuals shares their experiences then the public should take notice. What is obvious to me is that more research needs to be done on the trauma of incarceration, and steps need to be taken to prevent abuse both physical, mental and verbal from continuing.
It is clear that Mr. Deveaux experiences trauma related to his incarceration even after release, “I can still hear a prison guard saying, “get in the cage, nigger,” with a stinging voice that continues to slice through time (Deveaux,2013).
One could argue the conditions of any given prison are full of inmates that are suffering from their own trauma, which would account for behaviors they portray. “Many correctional facilities are structured to maintain order through strict control of the environment and incarcerated individuals… Arousal and reactivity symptoms include a startle reflex, irritability, violent outbursts, hypervigilance, guardedness, difficultly sleeping, and an overall heightened state of awareness and arousal. PTSD arousal symptoms and responses can be triggered by mandatory pat downs, unannounced strip searches, or routine restraint practices” (ICJIA,2017).
Admitting there is an issue is half the battle, taking step to address the problem is another issue altogether.
“Although incarceration is intended to address criminalized behaviors and rehabilitate people, evidence shows it does not improve public safety outcomes. Despite the wider public recognizing that rehabilitation and prevention should be more important than punishment, the US justice system remains rooted in a punitive approach that is conducive to neither healing nor growth and strips people of agency and social supports” (Langness, 2020). It is important to ensure that inmates serve their time for the crime they committed but it is equally important to they are treated as human beings, rather than less than just because they are inmates.
Reference:
Deveaux, M. (2013). The Trauma of the Incarceration Experience. Harvard Civil Rights – Civil Liberties Law Review, 48(1), 257–277.
ICJIA | Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. (2017.) https://icjia.illinois.gov/researchhub/articles/trauma-informed-and-evidence-based-practices-and-programs-to-address-trauma-in-correctional-settings
Langness, M., Jagannath, J., & McCoy, E. F. (2020, October 26). Prisons Are Traumatizing, but It Is Possible to Reduce Some of Their Harm: How some women’s prisons are adapting policies and practices to foster a more trauma-informed culture. Urban Institute. https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/prisons-are-traumatizing-it-possible-reduce-some-their-harm