Editor’s note: This article contains mentions of suicide and mental illness.
According to Statista, the U.S. currently holds almost 2.1 million adults in prisons, the largest per capita of any country in the world. In addition to this staggering statistic, the suicide rate among prisoners is nearly three times higher than the average population, rising by 85% according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. It is safe to say that prisons have a crisis on their hands.
Here in North Carolina, it is no different. The state has recorded a record number of suicides among prisoners this year. While the mental effects of COVID-19 and the early pandemic response are no doubt important to mention, they do not fully explain the systemic rise that has been occurring even before the pandemic began.
There are a few reasons why mental health among prisoners is depleting. Firstly, there is the obvious “shock of confinement” element, as well as the uncertainty involved in waiting for trial to determine how long one may stay in prison. These aspects are especially detrimental among first-time offenders, where people must adjust to complete separation from friends, family and normal life in general. However, there is much more to be noted than simple elements such as shock.
People with mental health issues prior to entering the prison system are far overrepresented in prison populations. In local jails, which are facing staff shortages, limited access to mental health resources and little oversight, the suicide rate is the highest. What’s worse is two-thirds of all suicides in local jails occur in the first month of detainment, and 77% of all deaths from suicide in local jails are by those who had not yet been convicted of a crime.
Factors in state and federal prisons exacerbate the problem. Facing the same staffing and resource deficits, one form of punishment is making the problem worse. Solitary confinement, or “restrictive housing” as it has been called (a name which massively understates the depravity of its conditions), has led to monumentally harmful effects on prisoners’ mental health.
Solitary confinement is often used as a form of punishment for insubordinate behavior within prisons. Something that is increasingly common are “supermax prisons” that hold people in small, isolated cells for years or even decades. Used as a punishment, it often ends up placing mentally ill prisoners, who are more likely to struggle to conform to prison life, in these tiny cells which are often drab and monotone in color and range in size from 6 feet by 9 feet to 8 feet by 10 feet.
Even for those without mental illnesses, solitude can be conducive to psychological damage that could cause mental illness. Anxiety and depression are common among prisoners following periods in solitary confinement. Other more concerning but nonetheless common symptoms include sensory hypersensitivity and a loss of identity. In worst-case scenarios, prisoners can emerge with schizophrenia, hallucinations and paranoia.
Solitary confinement correlates directly with higher rates of self-harm, psychological disorders and suicide. It is no surprise that the most recent suicide in North Carolina prisons was by a man with a known mental illness.
In fact, his being in prison in the first place was the result of a mental illness episode at a hospital where he was receiving assistance for his mental health issues. Upon arriving in prison, he had another episode, which prompted the prison to put him in solitary confinement for thirty days. Thirty-two days after arriving in prison, Didier J. Carias Jr. took his own life.
Any discussion on prison reform is bound to get caught in the metaphorical weeds of whataboutism related to why we should care about prisoners. However, our inability to debate and consider the welfare of prisoners has led to devastating consequences. These people, human beings just like you and I, are being put in an environment uniquely designed to collect and further develop mental health problems and increased rates of suicide and self-harm.
The lack of staffing, with nearly 40% of correctional officer positions vacant, is only the tip of a monumental iceberg. The use of solitary confinement, both as punishment and long-term forms of imprisonment, has had irreparable damage to prisoners and the families that must help them following their time in prison.
The daft and dank conditions of our prisons, the resources available to prisoners in terms of physical and mental healthcare, and the systems of oversight that protect at-risk prisoners are woefully inept. Their failures have led to, and are causing more suicides each year.
There are many prison reforms that are needed, including the ending of slavery as punishment, discriminatory treatment and general corruption hinders rehabilitation. Most pressing right now is the mental health of prisoners, who are reporting record numbers of suicide. Prison conditions display a shocking disregard for human life and are in clear violation of the Eighth Amendment’s barring of cruel and unusual punishments.
If you or someone you know is having a mental health emergency, the Counseling Center can be reached 24 hours a day at 919-515-2423. If you are in a crisis situation and need immediate help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. In the case of a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
The Counseling Center’s website offers free online mental health screenings, a plethora of self-help resources regarding mental health and wellness concerns and a comprehensive list of campus services available for those who need guidance. To view an exhaustive list, visit counseling.dasa.ncsu.edu/resources.
If you’re seeking professional counseling or other mental health services on campus, visit the Counseling Center’s Getting Started page at counseling.dasa.ncsu.edu/about-us/gettingstarted to complete paperwork, set up an appointment and more.
