The Many Psychological Effects of Prison: Here’s What Happens to Your Brain Behind Bars

Being Imprisoned Affects Us Deeply

There's no doubt about it. Being in prison affects our bodies and brains. 

Our body experiences a rush of chemical changes throughout a prison stay. It makes sense. We respond to extreme situations, and of course, prison is pretty extreme.

That's without mentioning the impact of solitary confinement. That's without mentioning the experience prisoners face when they are re-integrated into society. 

Both of these experiences harbor their own set of unique challenges. And, all of these experiences impact the body differently.

We'll examine each, focusing particularly on the effects of prison on the brain. 

The first set of changes are purposeful. Individuals are supposed to shift away from being self-sufficient to being reliant on the institution to determine things such as daily routine and schedule. While this can be extremely difficult initially, over the course of a prison stay it can become such a norm that it is difficult for those leaving prison to imagine it any other way. 

Hypervigilance also becomes normal, as prisoners adapt to a seemingly dangerous new home. It makes sense that they learn to become suspicious of everyone and ready for danger at all times. 

They may have to learn to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder, as the sustained stress inflicted by imprisonment is enough to trigger it.  

Meanwhile, prisoners are incentivized to control their emotions to a great degree. They learn not to engage in what would be considered normal, spontaneous sharing of emotions. 

Even prisoners that have the opportunity to engage socially with others might refuse to do so in order to avoid exploitation. They may instead withdraw into self-imposed isolation, refusing to trust the others around them. 

The Effects of Chronic Isolation May Be Permanent 

Then, there's solitary confinement. A range of changes happen to our bodies in response to the isolation inherent to solitary confinement. 

Robert King was held in solitary confinement for 29 years. He reported being unable to recognize faces or follow directions after. Being released from prison meant he had to relearn the most basic aspects of societal existence.

Mr. King had experienced the effects of chronic social isolation. 

Chronic social isolation causes changes in our brains. The hippocampus seems to get smaller while the amygdala becomes more active. The hippocampus is associated with learning, spatial awareness, and memory while the amygdala foments anxiety and fear. 

Some reliably consistent symptoms of chronic isolation include hallucinations, paranoia, panic attacks, worsened impulse control, and hypersensitivity to stimuli. Inmates can also suffer difficulties in memory, concentration, and thinking. 

Or, they may acquire obsessions. Inmates can even become a danger to themselves if their obsessions compel them toward self-mutilation. 

Terry Kupers is a psychiatrist and frequent critic of solitary confinement. He has referred to these very symptoms as "permanent damage".  

In short, if prisoners come in without mental issues, they may develop them. If prisoners come in already mentally ill, they will likely get worse. 

Stuart Grassian is a psychiatrist that has interviewed hundreds of prisoners in solitary confinement. He found a third of these prisoners to be "actively psychotic and/or acutely suicidal".

The conditions of solitary confinement are difficult for any human being to survive. This is why researchers discovered that half of the suicides in California prisons were completed by those in solitary confinement.

Then, there's what happens when prisoners are no longer imprisoned. When they're reintegrated back into society.

Difficulties After Prison 

One study found that the very weakening of executive function related to imprisonment meant that prisoners had a more difficult to re-integrating into society. In this way, being in prison is not rehabilitative but rather makes it more difficult to function in wider society. 

Kupers referred to this phenomenon as the "decimation of life skills". 

Prisoners may suffer to initiate behavior on their behalf. In fact, they may struggle to control any behavior of theirs. 

This is just one more symptom of being imprisoned. This is just one more way being imprisoned makes it harder to function on the outside.

The body undergoes a range of psychological and physical experiences when it is imprisoned. This leaves many prisoners struggling to survive while in prison and struggling to adapt to a world outside of prison after.

Contact us to learn more about prison reform.