My friends, Aisha was a information officer at departemen of Information, with eleven years'experience. She was moved to prison. She always faces prisoners with violence and she saw her friends has an aggresive behaviour, she felt uncomfortable. The case of Aisha show that prisons is a stressful place to work.
The Effect of Stress
The effect of stress have an influence on many areas of our lives. Stress can lead to physical an psychological illness, problems work, disturbence in our families and social lives, addition, and perhaps even criminal behaviour (David J. Cooke, Pamela J. Baldwin, and Jacqueline Howison, Psychology in Prisons, 1990):
1. Psychological Disturbence
The scientific evidence shows that stressful experiences lead to psychological disturbence, stressful experiences have been shown to cause anxiety, depression, mental illness, and suicidal behaviour. Depression and anxiety are the most common effects. When some one is depressed, will experience sadness, tearfulness, irritability, concern about him or herself, the world and the future. That person may have suicidal ideas, their sleep may be disturbed, their weight may drop and concentration may be poor. People who are anxious may experience considerable physical tension. Their sleep may disturbed, worry, and concentration may be disturbed.
2. Physical Illness and Disturbence
There is also evidence shows that stressful experiences can lead to both minor and major physical disturbence. At minor level : stress may lead to fatigue, headaches, impaired cencentration, sleep disturbence, indigestion.Stress may also lead to more serious and profound physical problems : skin problems, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease to sexual difficulties, peptic ulcers, and inflammation of the appendix.
3. Family and Social Disturbence
Stressful experiences can lead, either directly or indirectly, to significant family and social problems. Stress can lead to longstanding marital conflicts, also stop going to his social clubs or going to see friends.
4. Addiction
Stress may lead to addiction. By addiction is menat an over - dependence on food, alcohol, drugs or nicotine, because they feel better if they eat, drink, smoke or use drugs. If such activities continue for along time , it possible addictes to these substances. The addictions result in their own health and social problems.
5. Criminal Behaviour
Stressful experiences may lead people to commit certain forms of criminal acts, example : the case of shop lifting or some cases.
6. Difficulties at Work
Stress in the home and stress in the work - place can lead to difficulties at work. Three major types of problem emerged at work :
- 1. aften absent from work for short periodes;
-2. failled to carry aout the walfare duties;
-3. less able to cope quickly when difficult situations developed.(These evidences in a study of prison officers in New Jersey)
Why are Prison Stressful Placess ?If we aks some prison officers they will talk that they do not suffer from stress but all their work - mates do. The Americans call this the "Jhon Wayne Syndrome". The evidence of mortality statistics show that prison officers have a higher risk of heart disease than the general population, because habits of smoking, drinking or overagting. The rate of minor psychological problems seems to be high in the officers. There are probably three reasons:
1. Nature of The Job :
- deal with difficult and disturbed individuals whose behaviour is, at times, unpredictable.- must be vigilant
- and more general level the lack of stimulation or chanllenge ini many prison officers' job canbe distressing.
2. Role in The Organisation
Stress exist in prison because :
- there is poor communication from above. Orders, polcies, and procedures are changed butthese changes are not communicated.
- the majority of prison officers have little impact on polices : the lack of involvement indecision - making can be highly stressful.
- a final aspect of the prison officers' job is the ambiguity of the job : concern for security andconcern for the walfare of prisons.
3. Prisons and The Outside World
- Society can have a negative view of the prison officer.
- Friends and neighbours often do not appreciate the difficulties of the job.
- A futher difficulty may be the fear of physical abuse by ex-prisoners on the officer or hisfamily.These are soem of the factors which make prisons stressful places to work in.
Sunday 24 May 2009
COPING WITH DISTURBED PRISONERS
I wrote the psychological effects of being in a prison which prison officers felt psychological disturbance. Now, what can we do to help the disturbed prisoners ? In my articel section i will look at the most common forms of psychological disturbance in prison.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a response to some kind of stress. Stress may cause : bullying, worry over afuture decision about parole, movement to anather institution or involvement in illegal activities.Common symptoms of anxiety :headsaches migrainedizzines blurred visionblushing tremblingtwitching muscle spasmsdifficulty in breathing difficulty in swallowingaching muscles in neck, back,or legs heart palpitationsheart skipping beat thumping shest painsstomach shurning felling sickindigestion butterflies in stomachtiredness weak knees'jelly' legs sweatingfeeling the need to pas water frequently
So you can see from the list symptoms are very varied an could be caused by physical illnesses. If someone is found to be anxious like this, what can you do ? You do the following advice :
1. Breathe slowly and evenly.
2. Sit down if possible and gradually let go of physical tension in :a. shoulders (full them and back and then let go)b. chest (take a deep breath and let it out slowly)c. stomach (clench the stomach muscles to make them hard and ten let go)d. legs ( stretch them out and then let them flop)e. arms (bend your arms at the elbow, pulling your hands up to your shoulders andthen go again)f. hands ( stretch out the five fingers and then let them relax)
3. Keep breathing slowly and evenly. Reassure the prisoner that they will be all right.
DepressionPrison officers need to be alert to the tell-tale signs of depression so that they can send the prisoners for a thorough medical or psycological examination. The depression signs :- feeling miscrable-feeling listless or lacking in energy-lack of interest in usual activities'being irritable-sleeping poorly-losing interest in food-losing weight-feeling guilty over things that are not particully important-feeling useless-feeling hopeless about things-thinking that things will never get any better-saying that there is no point in carrying on-talking about to die
Prison officers can help :
1. Listen carefully. try to show that you are interested in the prisoner's difficulty and that youare sympathetic.
2. Try to give hope to prisoners. Suggest ways in which things might be improved. Do notpromise anything that you can not be sure of, but try to think of ways in which the situationcould be helped.
3.If there are pratical problems that can be solved.
4. Encourage the prisoner to keep up their activities.
5. Do not tell the prisoner just to snap out of it, or that they are stupid to worry or getdepressed over the way things are. You may think that prisoner is miserable unnecessarily.
Suicide attemps
Suicide attemps are complicated issues.The suggestions of handling it :
1. Show understanding (use listening skills)
2. Try to give hope that there will be a solution
3. Think of any practical suggestions that might hepl.
4. Keep the prisoner in contact with staff or other prisoners.
5.Keep the prisoner occupied.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a response to some kind of stress. Stress may cause : bullying, worry over afuture decision about parole, movement to anather institution or involvement in illegal activities.Common symptoms of anxiety :headsaches migrainedizzines blurred visionblushing tremblingtwitching muscle spasmsdifficulty in breathing difficulty in swallowingaching muscles in neck, back,or legs heart palpitationsheart skipping beat thumping shest painsstomach shurning felling sickindigestion butterflies in stomachtiredness weak knees'jelly' legs sweatingfeeling the need to pas water frequently
So you can see from the list symptoms are very varied an could be caused by physical illnesses. If someone is found to be anxious like this, what can you do ? You do the following advice :
1. Breathe slowly and evenly.
2. Sit down if possible and gradually let go of physical tension in :a. shoulders (full them and back and then let go)b. chest (take a deep breath and let it out slowly)c. stomach (clench the stomach muscles to make them hard and ten let go)d. legs ( stretch them out and then let them flop)e. arms (bend your arms at the elbow, pulling your hands up to your shoulders andthen go again)f. hands ( stretch out the five fingers and then let them relax)
3. Keep breathing slowly and evenly. Reassure the prisoner that they will be all right.
DepressionPrison officers need to be alert to the tell-tale signs of depression so that they can send the prisoners for a thorough medical or psycological examination. The depression signs :- feeling miscrable-feeling listless or lacking in energy-lack of interest in usual activities'being irritable-sleeping poorly-losing interest in food-losing weight-feeling guilty over things that are not particully important-feeling useless-feeling hopeless about things-thinking that things will never get any better-saying that there is no point in carrying on-talking about to die
Prison officers can help :
1. Listen carefully. try to show that you are interested in the prisoner's difficulty and that youare sympathetic.
2. Try to give hope to prisoners. Suggest ways in which things might be improved. Do notpromise anything that you can not be sure of, but try to think of ways in which the situationcould be helped.
3.If there are pratical problems that can be solved.
4. Encourage the prisoner to keep up their activities.
5. Do not tell the prisoner just to snap out of it, or that they are stupid to worry or getdepressed over the way things are. You may think that prisoner is miserable unnecessarily.
Suicide attemps
Suicide attemps are complicated issues.The suggestions of handling it :
1. Show understanding (use listening skills)
2. Try to give hope that there will be a solution
3. Think of any practical suggestions that might hepl.
4. Keep the prisoner in contact with staff or other prisoners.
5.Keep the prisoner occupied.
CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR - HOW IT DEVELOPS
Why do some people become criminals ? Is it merely because they are evil, wicked or bad. Or is it more complicated than that ? Criminal are all different , so they are all likely to affend for different reasons. There is no one simple explanation for criminal behaviour. We should not forget that many people break tehe law every day and do not get caught. We all know people who break teh lawa, but who are never arrested. They are classed as "non-criminal". Others who commit the same offences, but are caught : are classed as "criminals".
To understand criminal behaviour we have to consider some factors (David J. Copke, Pamela J. Baldwin, and Jacqueline Howison, 1990) :
1. Early Environment
A person's early environment can set them off along the path towards criminality. It is almost a cliche that criminals come from a "broken home". It is true that a lot of criminals come from home where their parents were separated or divorced. If their father get into fights, breaks into houses, steals car or sells heroin, then these forms of criminal behaviour are seen as normal by children. If they do not excercise any control or discipline, so the chances of the child getting into delinquent habits are much greater. This raises two important points : the quality of yor upbringging - how your parents looked after you - rather than where you are brought up which seems to matter. Second, some people seem to be vulnerable to bad influences. Some people who are exposed to bad influences are unaffected by them, others - the vulnerable people - start breaking the law. Human behaviour is complex.
2. Heredity
It is different to unravel the influences of heredity from the influence of early upbringging. People inherit criminal tendencies, it is little evidence. The most people genetic theory of recent years was the XYY theory. An extra Y chromosome made men become aggressive psychopaths. But you could not distinguish between the behaviour of "normal" men and the behaviour of XYY men.
3. Socio-economic status
They are unemployed they are more likely to commit crimes than when they are in employment. They are unemployed they have more oppurtunity to commit crime.
4. Current living circumstances
How you are living and where you are living seem to effect criminal behaviour; the acts of vandalism seem easy to commit.
5. Crises and negative events
Crises and negative events in our lives can cause all sort of psychological problems. Negative events can trigger problems from anxiety an depression. Negative events can also lead to effending.
To understand criminal behaviour we have to consider some factors (David J. Copke, Pamela J. Baldwin, and Jacqueline Howison, 1990) :
1. Early Environment
A person's early environment can set them off along the path towards criminality. It is almost a cliche that criminals come from a "broken home". It is true that a lot of criminals come from home where their parents were separated or divorced. If their father get into fights, breaks into houses, steals car or sells heroin, then these forms of criminal behaviour are seen as normal by children. If they do not excercise any control or discipline, so the chances of the child getting into delinquent habits are much greater. This raises two important points : the quality of yor upbringging - how your parents looked after you - rather than where you are brought up which seems to matter. Second, some people seem to be vulnerable to bad influences. Some people who are exposed to bad influences are unaffected by them, others - the vulnerable people - start breaking the law. Human behaviour is complex.
2. Heredity
It is different to unravel the influences of heredity from the influence of early upbringging. People inherit criminal tendencies, it is little evidence. The most people genetic theory of recent years was the XYY theory. An extra Y chromosome made men become aggressive psychopaths. But you could not distinguish between the behaviour of "normal" men and the behaviour of XYY men.
3. Socio-economic status
They are unemployed they are more likely to commit crimes than when they are in employment. They are unemployed they have more oppurtunity to commit crime.
4. Current living circumstances
How you are living and where you are living seem to effect criminal behaviour; the acts of vandalism seem easy to commit.
5. Crises and negative events
Crises and negative events in our lives can cause all sort of psychological problems. Negative events can trigger problems from anxiety an depression. Negative events can also lead to effending.
AGGRESSION
AGGRESSION
Aggression and violence are often used closely. Violence is aphysical attack : fighting, punching, kicking, using wepon. And aggression has a more general meaning, not just physical assaults : refer to verbal attcks or even just a hostile attitude.Kinds of aggressionCriminal aggression and violence differ from the sort of aggression in every day life. Despite it, the nature of criminal and 'normal' aggression is the same.
The causes and feeling involved are similar : criminal violence is merely a more extreme expression of them.To understand criminal aggression, star to look at 'normal' aggression. Anger can be very strong emotion. Feeling of anger may not be the only reason why people act aggressively. For the prison officer, anger to make the prisoner change his behaviour. However, people way act aggressively for two main reasons : 1) because of angry feeling, or 2) as a means of getting what they want. Most aggresive actions involve some element of gain : of mone, status publicity, etc, and some element of emotion : anger, frustration, or jealousy.
What makes people aggressive ?People may feel annoyed and up by acting aggresively in response to things and people around them and also to their own physical and mental states : will be discribed in four different part :
1. what a person feels inside (physically and mentally) :Tiredness is a common state which people say makes them prone to aggression. Pain , especially something like a toothache, and hunger can also make people more irritable than usual. Drink, drugs and some foods, other factors can influence the likelihood of some one acting aggressively, especially for people have less control over their temper. So , we have considered those factors inside ourselver, both mental an physical, which contribute to aggressive feelings an actions.
2. the degree of discomfort in the surroundings :temperature and noise have been mentioned specifically, but other elements in environtment which have an unpleasent effect on any senses might arouse aggressive responses in us.
3. the behaviour of others :why does a person who feel aggressive act that feeling in one situation but not in anthoer ? It depends on how others act towards him. People lose oppurtunity to do something, also make they angry. The main somponent, in violence and aggression is the way a person deals with others and how they behave toward him.4. personla thoughts :thoughts and behaviour are closely linked. A person's thoughts, both about him or herself an about others, can be a powerfull influence on his or her reactions to situations and the chances of aggression occuring.
Aggression and violence are often used closely. Violence is aphysical attack : fighting, punching, kicking, using wepon. And aggression has a more general meaning, not just physical assaults : refer to verbal attcks or even just a hostile attitude.Kinds of aggressionCriminal aggression and violence differ from the sort of aggression in every day life. Despite it, the nature of criminal and 'normal' aggression is the same.
The causes and feeling involved are similar : criminal violence is merely a more extreme expression of them.To understand criminal aggression, star to look at 'normal' aggression. Anger can be very strong emotion. Feeling of anger may not be the only reason why people act aggressively. For the prison officer, anger to make the prisoner change his behaviour. However, people way act aggressively for two main reasons : 1) because of angry feeling, or 2) as a means of getting what they want. Most aggresive actions involve some element of gain : of mone, status publicity, etc, and some element of emotion : anger, frustration, or jealousy.
What makes people aggressive ?People may feel annoyed and up by acting aggresively in response to things and people around them and also to their own physical and mental states : will be discribed in four different part :
1. what a person feels inside (physically and mentally) :Tiredness is a common state which people say makes them prone to aggression. Pain , especially something like a toothache, and hunger can also make people more irritable than usual. Drink, drugs and some foods, other factors can influence the likelihood of some one acting aggressively, especially for people have less control over their temper. So , we have considered those factors inside ourselver, both mental an physical, which contribute to aggressive feelings an actions.
2. the degree of discomfort in the surroundings :temperature and noise have been mentioned specifically, but other elements in environtment which have an unpleasent effect on any senses might arouse aggressive responses in us.
3. the behaviour of others :why does a person who feel aggressive act that feeling in one situation but not in anthoer ? It depends on how others act towards him. People lose oppurtunity to do something, also make they angry. The main somponent, in violence and aggression is the way a person deals with others and how they behave toward him.4. personla thoughts :thoughts and behaviour are closely linked. A person's thoughts, both about him or herself an about others, can be a powerfull influence on his or her reactions to situations and the chances of aggression occuring.
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