A study on the mental state of prisoners near the end of their sentence caused by a psychological anxiety case
Authors: Chen Jue , Liao Genwei 
Published: March 2023

Background

The form of group training for prisoners near the end of their prison sentence are often taken in China to help them enhance their ability to adapt to the society after being released from prison, but this training may have shortcomings of weak pertinence and non-differentiation. A prisoner had turned to his supervisor for help due to the emotional anxiety two months before the end of his prison sentence, which caused the concern to the individual psychological state of the prisoner. In order to reduce the stress and abnormal psychological state of prisoners before their release, and help them to rebuild themselves after returning to society, psychological tests and questionnaires were conducted on prisoners whose remaining prison term was less than three months. The prisoners with psychological fluctuations were screened out for timely intervention.

Subjects and Methods

A prisoner, 23-year-old, male, complained of inattention, depression, tension, irritability and frequent insomnia, this phenomenon has been interrupted for a month. So, two months before his release from prison, he sought help from the prison Psychological Counseling Department. The psychological test result of the man is as follows: The Self Rating Anxiety Scale test (SAS) result is 67 points, which is higher than the norm, and SCL-90 Self-Rating Depression Scale (SCL-90) anxiety factor 2.6, higher than the norm. Through the use of cognitive therapy and relaxation training by the counselors, there was no anxiety state in the psychological test after four psychological consultations. The case aroused the concern about the psychological state of the criminals before their release from prison, and 30 criminals with the three months remaining in prison were given psychological tests and questionnaires to understand their psychological state. The questionnaire was conducted by self- filling method, the main contents included: criminal history, prison experience, self-evaluation of psychological state, planning after being released from prison, etc. The 30 criminals participated in SCL-90 test to understand their psychological status.

Results

Among the 30 prisoners who participated in the SCL-90 test, 8 had higher anxiety factors than the norm, and 6 of them were under the age of 35. According to the statistics of the questionnaire survey results of 30 prisoners near the end of their sentence, 25 people felt that their recent sleep status was average or poor; 20 people have no desire to talk with others and discuss the future. 16 people did not have any life plans after releasing from prison. Among the 30 prisoners who participated in the questionnaire survey, 10 hoped to get pre-release employment guidance from the prison, and 10 hoped to participate in classes to learn skills such as reading clubs, computer or finance courses organized by the prison.

Conclusions

Prisoners before their release, especially young prisoners under 35 years old, are more likely to have anxiety or irritability. Although the number of prisoners who are troubled with this psychological state and ask for help from supervisors is not large, and the number who take the initiative to plan their life before they are released from prison is also not large, most prisoners still hope to get care and help from the prison in their future life or have a job before they leave prison. Therefore, it is very important to pay more attention to the psychology of pre-release prisoners, especially the young people.