Adjusting to Prison Life

TLDR

Abstract

While most inmates, including long-term prisoners, adjust successfully to prison life, many do not cope well with the pains of imprisonment. Maladaptive responses such as emotional disorders, self-mutilation, suicide attempts, and prison misbehavior are most common during the early phases of incarceration. Most studies show that white inmates more often exhibit psychological distress than do blacks or Hispanics. Black inmates, young inmates, and recently arrived inmates are more likely to violate prison rules than their inmate counterparts. Offenders who have the greatest difficulty adapting to prison tend to have difficulty functioning in other environments. Attributes of individuals and of environments combine to influence inmate adjustment.