Mental and Physical Health Problems as Conditions of Ex-Prisoner Re-Entry

Abstract

The article focuses on a less-discussed issue of social marginalization of people leaving penitentiaries, which is the prevalence of multifaceted health problems experienced by people in this category. It includes poor health status, resulting from, among others, poor housing conditions, harmful or risky lifestyle, and lack of access to medical services. Data from the District Inspectorate of the Prison Service in Lodz, Poland on the health conditions of inmates was accessed. These data were supplemented by qualitative research conducted in 21 juvenile detention centers and 8 prisons across the country, conducting direct observations and In-Depth Interviews (IDI). A total of 198 IDIs were conducted with incarcerated (72) and released (30) juvenile offenders, and incarcerated (68) and released (28) adult offenders. These were complemented by IDIs with experts (50) and Focus Group Interviews (FGIs; 8) with male and female inmates in 4 Polish prisons. The study revealed that mental and physical health is a serious obstacle to social reintegration of ex-prisoners. It is rarely addressed by state institutions. There are strong associations between neglect of health issues in the prison population and increasing social exclusion after leaving prison. As Poland has a restrictive penal policy, former prisoners remain a group with social stigma and little support.

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“…While criticism has been levelled against small-scale, qualitative work in the area of music and the arts in criminal justice (Burrowes et al, 2013), this exploratory study adds to a very limited amount of research focused on adult's participation in music programmes in the community as they leave prison. The findings shine a light on participant's experiences at a transitional point that is often very fraught (Chui and Cheng, 2013;Pe ˛kala-Wojciechowska et al, 2021;Ramakers et al, 2016). As the current research has only involved men, future research could begin to consider the potential impact on women leaving prison who often have different needs as they reenter the community.…”

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