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The Theory Of Punishment, Deprivation, Control, And Protection

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Basically culture of prison is based on the concept of punishment, deprivation, control and protection, which conflicts with a mental health service emphasis on human welfare and care. The prison principle was developed to provide punishment that reduces or removes offenders from the society, practices prisoners maximum restraint over their day to day lives. Prison also attempts to rehabilitate, prevent them from offending again on release and help to be an important part of the community. Such a closely controlled and punitive prison environment frequently has harmful effects on prisoners’ psychological wellbeing, even though most of the coping mechanisms which is developed to overcome these effects (Gunn et al, 1978). However, it would be difficult to develop such coping mechanisms, if those prisoners already have psychological disorder or suffering from mental illness which results lack of mental strength. This depends on several factors, such as individual characteristics, the particular illness and psychological conditions, the length of punishment or sentence and the medical healthcare resources within the prison. In the year of 2002, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMCIP) reported that 41% of captives in dispersal prisons should ideal be placed in secure mental hospitals or psychiatric wards due to the extent of their mental illness or psychological disorder (HMCIP 2002, p 57). Even in 1996 the Inspectorate encountered serious problems regarding the

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