Psychological Impacts of Incarceration

Inmates in the United States prisons are often confronted with certain contingencies and environmental pressures which they have to tackle to survive in the restricted area where they live. Notably, from the 1970s to the present date, different extraneous forces have modified America’s criminal justice system and unavoidably the state of imprisonment. As a result of these changes, the problems prisoners now face have increased tremendously. These issues also affect them indirectly after their discharge.

American correction facilities have experienced increased incarceration rates, overcrowding of prisons, abandonment of rehabilitation, and the meteoric expansions of prison systems. They contribute to jeopardized prison safety and control and wide-scale reduction of prisoner access to relevant programming. Due to the problems prisoners face, it sometimes affects their mental health when they return to society.

Two of the most common psychological incarceration impacts are hypervigilance and interpersonal distrust. Generally, prisons are unsafe places, and this causes prisoners to always be on their toes. In prisons, there is no escape, so not being alert attracts certain consequences.

Due to the heightened environment, prisoners can make alliances and exploit each other’s weaknesses. If one is careless, they can be at the receiving end. This factor causes interpersonal distrust and suspicion. So, after these prisoners are discharged from prison, their senses can be unusually heightened, causing them to always be on edge.

Prisoners also encounter issues when building relationships as a result of trust issues. Prisons force inmates to be dependent on them. They give up their autonomy and submit to the dictates of the prison wardens and overseers. The process can be quite painful for some prisoners because one relinquishes their sense of independence. Some prisoners never adjust to this change.

However, most prisoners succumb to the change, and as time passes, they become over-reliant on the prison system. The effects of this factor can be quite devastating. For instance, parents that return from prison cannot easily organize their children’s lives, and their decision-making abilities can become somewhat weak, causing the creation of dysfunctional homes.

Some prisoners find solace in social withdrawal and isolation. Their social withdrawal is a form of self-imposed disconnection from their social life, a form of adaptation to the stressful and somewhat draining prison life. Prisoners in this category live in silent desperation without confiding in anyone. When such prisoners head back to their families and relations, they become socially aloof, impacting family relationships that rely solely on interdependence.

Furthermore, because prisoners lose their fundamental human rights such as the right to privacy, freedom of movement, human dignity, among others, they tend to lose their sense of identity and self-worth. Prisoners live and perform their daily activities in cramped-up spaces. They have no say in whom they can share a bed with or what they can eat. So, as a result of constant exposure to such an environment, some prisoners become stigmatized.

Prisoners may begin to perceive themselves as individuals deserving degradation and humiliation. Consequently, after the release of such prisoners, they may develop psychological problems due to their own imposed feeling of worthlessness.

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Why Travel Is Good for Your Health

Travel has been proven to boost several aspects of physiological health, including your heart and immune system. Research has shown that your immune system is determined not just by your inherited genetics but also by your environment. The more environments you’re exposed to, the stronger your immunity is because you get exposed to different types of antigens that your body builds antibodies against. You can strengthen your immunity when you travel and go to an entirely new place filled with foods, air, and people who carry different antigens.

As far as your heart health goes, travel can improve it both directly and indirectly. Studies have indicated that men who fail to take vacation time away from work for several years in a row are more likely to have a heart attack than men who do take vacations. Likewise, another study showed that women who traveled every year were less likely to suffer from coronary death and myocardial infarction than women who only took a vacation every six years. The reason for this may be twofold: one part is that travel often requires more exercise compared to the sedentary lifestyles most people live, such as going on hikes, walking around a new city, or even walking around the airport. The other reason is that travel reduces stress, and stress is a huge factor in heart disease, as it causes higher blood sugar and blood pressure levels, and this weakens the circulatory system over time.

Speaking of stress, not only have surveys shown that vacation time helps to manage stress and negativity, but travel has also been proven to help you be generally happier, healthier, and more productive. A Harvard study has shown that 94 percent of respondents had the same amount or even more energy after a trip as they did before their trip. In a 2013 study, 80 percent of respondents aged 25 to 70+ agreed that travel helped improve their general mood and outlook, and most of those respondents also said that travel helped reduce their stress.

Studies have also shown that when you do activities like hiking or skiing in scenic areas that involve vistas and being aware of the objects around you, your sense of hopefulness increases. Seeing panoramic views helps you put your life into perspective and understand that there’s more out there beyond just your world at home.

Finally, traveling can help your thinking become more sharp and creative. When exposed to various situations and lifestyles, your brain improves in its ability to think deeply, integrate thoughts, and move between ideas. Studies have also shown that interacting with other cultures increases neuroplasticity and cognitive flexibility.

Experiencing new stimuli such as tastes, smells, and sights can help the brain form new neural pathways, which could help you think more out of the box and become a better problem-solver. This is proven by science. In one study, people who traveled abroad did better on tasks involving creative insights than people who haven’t traveled. In another, creative directors in the fashion industry produced more creative designs when they spent more time traveling.

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Planning and Returning from a Career Break

After years working in the same role or industry, many people decide to take planned prolonged absences from their position. Career breaks or pauses are different from sabbaticals, as with the former, workers do not plan to return to their former company. Instead, they may use the transitionary period to build skills for a completely different position or industry. There is no right way to plan a career break. What individuals choose to do ultimately depends on the reasons for their absence and their post-break goals.

One of the most common reasons people take a career break is a life change, such as moving to be with a long-distance partner or caring for a child. According to a LinkedIn survey, more than 80 percent of new parents take a hiatus from their careers. Career breaks can also be involuntary, as in the case of a lay-off. Many people also pause their careers due to debilitating burnout.

Burnout is a condition triggered by immense workplace stressors. It is common in caring professions or industries where workers are constantly exposed to traumatic situations. Burnout can also occur due to a toxic and poorly managed work environment. Over time, burned-out workers may develop mental health issues and even physical symptoms. For some workers, taking a break is part of the recovery process.

Career breaks are also advised for people who are satisfied in their careers but feel that they have plateaued in their achievement. In this case, they can dedicate their pause to full-time learning or gaining volunteer experience to give them insight into their next career move. Other people may use the time to travel the world and learn new languages and cultures. Planning for a career break includes preparing before leaving employment, outlining goals for the pause, and a trajectory for returning into the workplace.

If possible, building a savings cushion to cover basic expenses before embarking on a career break can minimize financial stress. Some people will downsize their living expenses by moving in with family or moving to a cheaper area. Career breaks don’t necessarily mean a break from earning income. It is very common for people to finance their pause with intermittent freelance work or a part-time, low-pressure job.

While the stigma against resume gaps is fading, some new employers may wonder what applicants have accomplished during their career break. For this reason, it is essential to set career break goals. If an individual leaves work due to burnout, the goals can include following healthy self-care routines and meeting with a counselor.

Once they are back in health, they can review their options for a new career. People looking to break into a new field can start networking and finding volunteering roles to gain experience. Not only does this give direction, but it also serves as skills and accomplishments to list on a resume.

Throughout the pause, individuals should stay in contact with their professional connections. This way, they can stay informed of what is happening in their industry and be aware of possible job opportunities when they are ready to return. Some companies offer special "returnship" programs for parents and other caregivers returning from extended career breaks.