Prison psychoses

In addition to the general disruption in relation to time, there are a number of other factors that can create or increase psychological difficulties in prisons. They have already been well-documented: overcrowding, lack of privacy, violence, racketeering, the obligation to "provide services", drugs, the lack of sexuality, forced homosexuality, the deterioration of some prison buildings, fear of kingpins, bad relationships with some of the prison staff, psychological isolation... These can lead to stress, anxiety, agitation, depression, thoughts of suicide, and "prison psychoses" such as "gate fever", where inmates experience extreme anxiety once the cell door closes.

There are a number of paranoid patients in prison. They are suspicious of everything, and as a result stay confined in their cells most of the time. Though it stands to reason that imprisonment creates severe psychological difficulties, the question remains as to whether prison is responsible for psychopathological conditions. Jérôme Englebert isn't so sure, and warns against ascribing a direct causal relationship. In his book(3) he states: "Saying that an individual's psychotic episode was triggered by their incarceration - whether or not we agree about the existence of prior vulnerability - is a deduction that can only be made after the fact, and thus confirmatory verification can only be retrospective. Following this line of reasoning, we can only identify the cause of the phenomenon (which then becomes an effect) as part of a secondary, and non-predictive time frame.”

In his opinion, any psychotic behaviour, whether chronic or acute, is essentially caused by biological factors (such as genetic vulnerability, among others), environmental factors, and the subject's personal history. In other words, he rejects the notion of linear causation (incarceration - psychopathology) in favour of "circular causation", which involves a number of different factors, including the fact that imprisonment is potentially traumatic and can inhibit harmonious psychological development. The concept of prison psychosis also relates back to a notion dear to Jérôme Englebert: human beings in a situation. Understood in this way, the concept "evokes the situational dimension (imprisonment) of the psychopathological manifestation without negating its intrinsic complexity."

The question of remorse

Many more psychopathologies are exhibited within prison walls than outside of them. Thus, after examining whether prison causes psychiatric psychopathologies, is it worthwhile to consider whether certain psychopathological entities are more likely to lead to criminal activities, and consequently, incarceration. "That may be the case for psychopathologies like psychopathy or perversion, but undoubtedly in a less linear way that we usually think," says Jérôme Englebert.

Jérôme Englebert is certain of one thing: the psychologist must never become a moralist. Certain inmates are ridden with remorse and guilt over the acts they have committed. Is that the most adapted response? "Taking refuge in guilt is not the only way to be constructive from a psychological point of view," states the researcher. "In fact, neurotics always do this. Another adapted response could be for inmates to worry about themselves, their daily lives, and their future - even though sentencing courts, social protection commissions, and all jurisdictions tend to think that inmates should necessarily and primarily commiserate with their victims.”

North American studies by Karl Hanson have shown that neither the success of psychotherapy nor the rate of recidivism were in any way related to the criminal's level of remorse. Bouncing off that idea, Jérôme Englebert throws out a slightly provocative question: ultimately, would we prefer prisoners to redeem themselves, or would we rather they not re-offend once they get out of prison? "I've made a radical choice," he declares.

(3) Idem.