Don't say the nature is hard to move, the prison can change people's personality

The longer and harsh prison scene, the more likely the prisoner is to change in ways that make reintegration much more difficult.

Imagine, day after day, year after year, you don't have your own space, don't choose to live with anyone, eat something or go anywhere. Threats and doubts everywhere. It's hard to find love or even just a gentle touch of people. You are separated from family and friends.

In response, prisoners in this kind of environment have no choice but to change and adapt. This is especially true for those who face long prison sentences.

In a report on the psychological impact of imprisonment, American social psychologist Craig Haney frankly said: "Few people have ever changed or been hurt after prison experience."

Based on interviews with hundreds of prisoners, researchers at the Institute of Crime, Cambridge University have shown that the long-term imprisonment "completely changes people". Or as a longtime prisoner said, after years of imprisonment "you are no longer friends".

Prolonged imprisonment "completely changed people".

In the area of ​​personality psychology, people once believed that the personality of adults is almost fixed. But recent studies show that, in fact, despite our relative stability, our habits of thinking, behavior and emotions change in important ways - especially to meet roles. different that we take on in life. In a socially threatened environment, prison time will inevitably lead to significant personality changes.

However, these personality changes, although able to help prisoners survive the sentence, are counterproductive for their lives after leaving prison.

The main characteristics of the prison environment can lead to personality changes including the loss of the right to freedom of choice, lack of privacy, daily discrimination, frequent fear, pretending not to be hurt. love and emotionlessness (to avoid being exploited by others) and to abide by strict rules and habits imposed from the outside, day in and day out.

"Prisoner"

There is very little research on the characteristics of the environment that can change the personality of prisoners according to the "Big Five" model (including outward, conscientious, pleasant, willing to experience and psychological instability).

Prisoners adapted to the environment are called their "exiles".

However, psychologists and criminologists widely acknowledged that prisoners adapted to the environment are called their "imprisonment" . This contributes to the "syndrome after being detained" when they are released from prison.

Consider findings from " in-depth interviews with 25 former" prisoners "(including two women) in Boston, averaging 19 years in prison. Analyzing their stories, Marieke psychologist Liema and the criminals Maarten Kunst discovered that prisoners developed "institutional personality traits", including "not trusting others, difficulties in relationships" and "making decisions." prevent".

A former 42-year-old male prisoner said: "I [still] have the same kind of behavior as when I was in prison. You are not a light switch or a faucet. You can't just turn something off. When you have done something for a certain amount of time . it will become part of you ".

The most obvious change in personality is that they are incapable of trusting others - a kind of permanent paranoia. "You can't trust anyone in the joint," said another 52-year-old man. "I have a problem with belief, I just don't trust anyone."

Interviews with hundreds of British prisoners conducted by Susie Hulley and her colleagues at the Criminal Institute drew a similar picture."Many people . tell us that they have gone through important changes and sometimes the whole person."

Most likely, the personality of the prisoner will be changed in a way that makes reintegration difficult.

Prisoners describe the "emotional paralysis" process. "It makes you tough, makes you aloof , " one person said, explaining how prisoners intentionally concealed and prevented their emotions. "It is the person you become, and if you are tough from the beginning, you become tougher, you become colder, you are farther away . " Another prisoner said: "Style . I don't have feelings for people anymore."

In terms of the Big Five personality traits, one can describe this trait as a form of extremely low psychological instability (either stable or emotionally high), combined with low outreach and low comfort - In other words, not an ideal personality change for the return to the outside world.

Hulley and his colleagues certainly care about this."When a long-term prisoner becomes 'adaptive' - literally of the term - with the requirements of the detention period, they are emotionally isolated, more self-isolated, collected I am social and perhaps less suitable for life after being released from prison. "

So far, studies have been based on interviews with detained prisoners for many years. But a document published in February 2018 used neuroscience tests to show that even a short period of time in prison affects personality. Researchers led by Jesse Meijers at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam tested 37 different prisoners twice, three months apart. In the second experiment, prisoners showed increased impulsiveness and less attention control. These types of cognitive changes may indicate that their devotion - a trait related to self-discipline, order and ambition - has become worse.

Prisoners after being released from prison have less ability to live and work under the law before being detained.

Researchers believe that the changes they observe may be due to the harsh environment of the prison, including the lack of cognitive challenges and loss of autonomy . "This is an important and social- related finding ," the researchers concluded, "because prisoners after being released from prison are less likely to live and work under the law before being detained. hold".

However, other findings give us some hope. In another recent document - one of the few studies that applied the Big Five model to changing prisoner traits - researchers compared personality profiles of prisoners with maximum security control in Sweden with many different control groups, including university students and prison guards. They found that while prisoners had lower scores on outwardness, openness and comfort, they actually had higher scores in conscientious items, especially 'side characteristics' like order and self-discipline.

The team led by Johanna Masche-No of Kristianstad University does not believe this is due to the social desire effect - that prisoners are trying to make a good impression with the group asking questions.

Instead, researchers argue that their findings may reflect a form of positive personality adjustment for detention: "Prison environments are strict about regulations and norms. standards and private spaces are limited: Such an environment requires prisoners to order in order to avoid formal penalties and negative actions from other prisoners. "

In other words, it can help them stay out of trouble.

Such an environment requires prisoners to order in order to avoid official penalties and negative actions from other prisoners.

Although Sweden's findings seem to contradict Dutch research, it should be noted that when Dutch prisoners become impulsive and less attentive, they also show improvements in scheduling capabilities. Space planning, which can be considered to be related to disciplinary submissions (Meijers and colleagues do not care much about this improvement because they believe that prisoners have scored higher on the second test because they practiced more). Another possibility is that high conscience in Swedish prisoners is characterized by Sweden's prison system because of its emphasis on treatment and rehabilitation over many other countries.

Also full of hope, and somewhat in line with Sweden's findings, are two recent studies involving prisoners participating in financial games often used for collaborative research, adventure and punishment (one of those games is called Prisoner Dilemma). This indicates that prisoners have normal or even higher levels of cooperation.

The findings are significant for debates about social reintegration of criminals, said Sigbjørn Birkeland at the NHH Norwegian School of Economics . "A common perception . is that criminals are bad guys lacking social motivation and this awareness can be used to justify the harsh sentence for criminals." Their results show that criminals can only "have friendly social dynamics like the general population".

When awareness increases that personality is easy to change , hopefully this will lead to greater efforts to consider how the prison environment can shape the character of the prisoner. This can obviously affect their return to society.

When awareness increases that personality easily changes.

A study with this clear goal is underway. Currently, evidence shows that prison life leads to personality changes that can hinder a person's recovery and reintegration. To a certain extent it is inevitable, with the loss of privacy and freedom.

But that said, the prisoners' commitment and cooperation results show that not all hope is off, and they highlight potential goals for reintegration programs. .

This is not merely an abstract issue for scholars: they have profound meanings about how society wants to handle those who violate our laws. Current evidence shows that the prison sentence is longer and more severe - less freedom, choice and opportunity for safe, meaningful relationships - most likely the personality of the prisoner will be changed. in a way that makes reintegration difficult and increases their risk of recidivism.

Finally, society may face an option. We can punish more seriously those who commit crimes and risk making them worse, or we can design prison and prison rules to help criminals recover and change better. .