Feelings of guilt, shame, and forgiveness of the detainees and convicts in a psychiatric prisoner’s service

Introduction: In the present study, the purpose was to examine whether there is a difference in the feelings of guilt, shame, and forgiveness in prisoners who committed one or more crimes. Also, the relationship between the number of crimes involved, the diagnosis of existing or past psychiatric diseases, and demographic data was examined. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 107 inpatients in the prisoner’s ward. The demographic data forms Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Guilt and Shame Scale (GSS), and Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS) were administered in the study. Results: A total of 107 people (51 people involved in one single crime and 56 people involved in more than one crime) were included in the study. The education level was lower in many crimes than in a single crime (p=0.032). Although the diagnosis of mood disorder was higher in the group that was involved in one single crime (36.6%), the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder was higher in the group that was involved in multiple crimes (41.9%). No differences were detected between the groups in terms of BAI (p = 0.903) and BDI (p = 0.557) scores. No differences were detected between the groups in terms of GSS (guilt and shame) and HFS scores (p values of 0.745 and 0.676, respectively). A positive correlation was detected between the BDI and BAI of all prisoners and the HFS-forgiveness subscale. A positive correlation was detected between the GSS-guilt and shame subscales and all subscales and the total score of HFS. Conclusion: The study showed that anxiety and depression are more common in individuals who were exposed to violence in childhood. It was considered that identifying the prisoners who were involved in the crime for the first time and who felt remorseful and guilty could prevent further crimes. Finally, it is considered that the rate of crime can be reduced by preventing childhood violence and providing psychiatric support to individuals with psychiatric symptoms in order to raise individuals who are mentally healthy and have a low tendency to harm.