Psychological Services

History

Psychology as a discipline emerged during the 19th century. However, prior to that time, shelter for the mentally disordered was provided through religious institutions and asylums. It was the introduction of psychoanalysis at the end of the 19th century that marked the beginning of “talking cures” for mental disorders. Moving away from strict punishment, prison psychology was introduced in the 20th century and has gone through many transformations, from psychotherapy to behavior modification to present-day, less ambitious attempts at behavior change.

Prison psychologists were introduced in large numbers during the early 1970s. As the prison population in the United States has grown since the 1980s, the approach and role of psychologists and other mental health professionals has had to change dramatically. These days, correctional institutions are employing more psychological professionals than they have in the past, from an estimated 600 masters-and doctorate-level psychologists working in corrections in the early 1980s, to more than 2,000 in U.S. prisons and jails today.

Educational and training requirements for psychologists were less rigorous in the past, while today doctoral level training is the expected norm. Earlier approaches that emphasized individual psychotherapy have now given way to differentiated and highly focused approaches that are based on theoretical and research foundations. In particular, cognitive-behaviorally based programs for sex offenders and violent offenders, which emphasize victim empathy and address cognitive distortions and denial, appear promising.

Prisoner Rehabilitation

Psychologists believe that crime is caused by specific traits in an individual, including personality, impulsivity, and intelligence. Prison psychologists generally pay some attention to environmental factors, including parental supervision and discipline, home environment, and parental criminality. Irrespective of what tradition they have been trained in, whether it was psychoanalytic, behaviorist, or humanist, most psychologists take into account the impact of multiple factors on criminal behavior, and many have an eclectic approach to assessment and treatment.

Aside from working with the general population in state and federal prisons, psychologists may be employed in long-term and short-term mental health units or special needs units in prisons and in other facilities associated with prisons, or work in state hospitals that house mentally disordered offenders. Prisoners who are housed in these specialized units can be suffering from major mental disorders, may be guilty but mentally ill, or less frequently, may be not guilty of a crime by reason of insanity. Those suffering from severe disorders may remain in long-term institutions for many years.

All mental health professionals undertake a variety of tasks in prisons, including assessment, direct treatment, and administration. Most assessments are aimed at determining intellectual ability, personality characteristics, risk assessment, and symptom assessment. Prison psychologists treat offenders for mental illnesses, in addition to administering and interpreting numerous standardized tests for use by the [Page 791]correctional institutions and parole authorities. The most widely used psychological instrument in corrections is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI, MMPI-2).

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