Mental Health Outcomes for Female Inmates without a Mental Disorder: Imprisonment and Post-release Effects of Confinement with Women with a Mental Illness

Abstract

This study explores the well-being of women offenders without mental disorders during imprisonment and reentry after having been confined with mentally ill female inmates. We found that this joint confinement causes great distress to the mentally stable female inmates, harming both their mental, physical, and emotional condition and their reentry process and rehabilitation. Our findings led us to conclude that women prisoners should be separated from those with mental disorders or be offered a wide range of psychological and emotional coping tools as well as variety of rehabilitative treatment programs.