Post Incarceration Syndrome
Seek To Understand, Not To Deny – Prison Has Side-effects
It’s hard to fully grasp what system-impacted citizens endure during incarceration and after their release unless you’ve been in prison yourself. The harsh and abusive conditions in prison can take a serious toll on a person’s mental health, often leading them to adapt in ways that may seem normal within those walls but are deeply damaging. These conditions can leave individuals feeling helpless, hopeless, and without any clear direction. If someone faces these challenges during or after their sentence, they may be suffering from a condition known as Post Incarceration Syndrome (PICS).
What Is Post Incarceration Syndrome?
Post Incarceration Syndrome is a mental disorder that affects people who are currently incarcerated or released from prison. Individuals in prison are at risk for this disorder, but those who have experienced trauma during their prison sentence may be more likely to develop the syndrome and have more intense side effects. Noone leaves prison with their psyche entirely intact. For example, people forced into solitary living situations in prison or were victims of institutional abuse are likely to experience the severe mental and emotional turmoil typically associated with Post Incarceration Syndrome.
Post Incarceration Syndrome & Mental Illness
Since Post Incarceration Syndrome is a mental health condition, many of its symptoms are related to a person’s thoughts and the behaviors that result from those thoughts. Some of the most common side effects or traits that someone with PICS might experience include:
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Trauma before or during life in prison may result in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Individuals who struggle with PTSD may frequently relive past events in their minds and have sudden outbursts.
Institutionalized Traits
While in prison, a person’s personal nature and critical thinking abilities may be stripped away from them. This could result in a personality switch or loss of interest in activities that the person once enjoyed.
Antisocial Traits
A lot of time in prison is spent alone. When inmates aren’t alone, they only have the company of guards and fellow inmates. If they face abuse from these people, they may develop an antagonistic and anti-social point of view.
Sensory Deprivation
It’s normal to feel lost after going through sensory deprivation. The effects of living without any contact with the outside world can take a mental toll on an individual in prison.
Other side effects of Post Incarceration Syndrome, which may tie in with the traits above, include feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, fear, isolation, and anger or rage
REENTRY & RELATIONSHIPS
Adjusting to a partner’s return from prison can be challenging, especially for those who have spent years, even decades, waiting for their release.
I’m often asked how to better support a loved one without losing yourself in the process. My advice is straightforward: “Educate yourself on the psychological impact of incarceration, known as Post-Incarceration Syndrome (PICS), set clear boundaries, and prioritize self-care.” It’s also important to openly discuss these issues with your loved one. While some may deny being affected by their time in prison, it’s highly unlikely they’ve emerged unscathed.
In their efforts to heal their families, many partners tend to neglect their own needs. They become so focused on their partner’s reintegration and their children’s well-being that they forget to care for themselves.
There are many prison support groups on social media for women who have a loved one in prison or are formerly incarcerated. However, finding one where the group’s sole purpose is to raise awareness about Post Incarceration Syndrome is like finding a needle in a haystack. For this reason, Wife After Prison was birthed. When my marriage was on a slippery slope, I badly needed support. I needed a support group that would help me to understand why my ex-husband’s behavior and personality became unrecognizable before my very eyes.
Finding support as a partner of someone who’s been incarcerated can be challenging, especially when it comes to understanding Post Incarceration Syndrome. There are plenty of social media groups for women with loved ones in prison or who are formerly incarcerated, but finding one that focuses specifically on raising awareness about PICS is rare. That’s why I started Wife After Prison. When my marriage was struggling, I desperately needed a group that could help me understand why Kevin, my then-husband, seemed like a different person after his release.
I joined 26 different “prison wives” support groups, with over 26,000 members combined, but none of them addressed what happens after prison. I was hesitant to bring up PICS at first, but I couldn’t stay silent. Keeping quiet felt like a disservice to others who might be facing the same challenges Kevin and I did. It was concerning to see so many people unaware of what could happen after their loved one was released.
I refuse to stay silent, knowing that my silence could dishonor the memory of Fatima Johnson, Jessica Vargas, Melinda Corona, and so many others who tragically lost their lives at the hands of someone they supported during and after their release from prison. That’s why I asked each group I was part of, “Have you heard of Post Incarceration Syndrome?” The overwhelming response was, “No.”
As I started sharing my story and our experience with this mental disorder that often goes unnoticed, others began to open up with questions and comments. One comment in particular has stuck with me. A wife wrote, “Had I known about this, maybe my husband would still be alive; three days after he got out of prison, he committed suicide.” People wondered what could have happened in those three days. But I knew the real question was, what happened in prison that he couldn’t live with?
One wife shared, “Had I known about this ten years ago, maybe my husband and I would still be together.” The responses I received were overwhelming, highlighting the urgent need for awareness about PICS. Maintaining a relationship is challenging enough, but doing so when one partner is currently or formerly incarcerated can be incredibly stressful and, at times, seemingly impossible. Many members of the Wife After Prison Support Group have admitted they are no longer together.
I’ve learned that women in long-term relationships with incarcerated men often speak candidly in social media groups about their feelings of shame, guilt, and stigma, especially if their partner has committed a violent crime. They’re frustrated by their inability to share life’s simple joys with their partners and often feel they’ve lost a sense of self while supporting their loved ones. One woman expressed, “I need to find myself. I don’t even love myself because I’ve loved everyone else; I miss who I was.”
Hearing someone say, “I was happiest when he was in prison,” is unsettling, yet it’s a sentiment shared by many. As a result, some people have lost interest in the activities that once brought them joy.
There’s also resentment about handling every aspect of the relationship, including financial and parenting responsibilities. Supporting a relationship with someone in prison is costly—visits, phone calls, and adding money to their account for food and toiletries can add up to thousands of dollars a year. One wife revealed that she had spent $60,000 while her husband was still incarcerated.
Substance Abuse. Prevention. Treatment
If you or someone you know is dealing with Post Incarceration Syndrome, the first step is to seek professional help or join a support group. Reintegration is challenging and cannot be done alone. Professional guidance can help in managing and overcoming the condition. For those struggling with substance abuse in addition to PICS, inpatient rehabilitation may be a crucial step towards recovery.