Introduction Most prisoners undergo a painful and stressful experience when they are held in solitary confinement. This is because they are cut off from any form of human contact, except with fellow inmates and the prison guards. In addition, prisoners only make very few movements, all of which are closely observed and tightly controlled (Nurse, Woocock & Ormsby, 2003). The prison environment is also another source of stress for prisoners. For example, they are usually confined to very small cells with very little ventilation. Sometimes, many prisoners can be confined to a small room to the point of almost being deprived of air (World Health Organization, 2007). Such extreme conditions interfere with the mental and physical health of inmates. Behavioral and mental disorders have been noted to be very prevalent among prisoners. The current research paper is an attempt to explore how being incarcerated affects the mental health of inmates. In addition, the paper shall also attempt to examine how inmates who are incarcerated with mental illness deteriorate in condition due to the poor environment in prison. Factors affecting the high rate of mental disorders among prisoners The high rates of mental disorders among prisoners could be linked to a number of factors including the widely held misconception that all individuals with mental disorders pose a threat to members of the public, with most of them ending up in prison. In addition, many societies do not tolerate difficult or disturbing behavior (Metzner & Esq, 2010). There is also a lack of promotion for care, treatment and rehabilitation for patients with mental disorders. Other people lack access to proper metal health services and as such, they could end up in prison without the condition having been diagnosed. Once they have been incarcerated, the condition deteriorates even further owing to the numerous stressors in prison (Nurse et al, 2003). On the other hand, the prevailing conditions in prison could also trigger mental disorders among inmates. Such conditions include the issue of human rights violations and torture. Prison life exacerbates mental health due to the a number of factors including different types of violence, overcrowding, lack of privacy, isolation from social networks, enforced solitude ,inadequate health services, and insecurity about such future prospects as relationships and work (Nurse et al, 2003). The cumulative effects of the aforementioned factors are usually manifested by such unfortunate incidents as the increased cases of suicide in prison. The increased cases of suicide are mainly as a result of depression owing to stressors in the prison environment. Effects of solitary confinement on the mental health of prisoners Evidence show that solitary confinement impacts negatively on the health and well-being of inmates, especially for the inmates who have a pre-existing mental disorders (World Health Organization, 2007). It is important to note that the extent of such psychological damage differs and can be affected by such individual factors as pre-existing health problems and personal background. In addition, the nature and extent of the psychological damage can also be affected by the regime (for exampl