“We Were Just Like Rats”
Exploring Experiences of Jail Incarceration Among Persons With PTSD
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21619656 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alexis Carl (0000-0003-0545-4338, PhD, LMSW, assistant professor, Wayne State University School of Social Work, Detroit, MI, USA, corresponding author), Suzanne Brown (0000-0001-7329-2137, PhD, LMSW, professor, Wayne State University School of Social Work, Detroit, MI, USA) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Families in Society The Journal of Contemporary Social Services (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1044-3894 • E-ISSN: 1945-1350 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/10443894251352587 |
| OpenAlex | W4414578428 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 43 |
Individuals with mental illness are disproportionately represented in the criminal legal system due to the criminalization of mental illness; however, one highly prevalent diagnosis among this population is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Experiences of incarceration in jail among individuals with PTSD are understudied, which is alarming as persons in jails have the highest rates of PTSD within the criminal legal system. Utilizing a phenomenological approach, this study aims to explore, describe, and understand the lived experiences of persons previously incarcerated in jails with PTSD. Findings from this study provide a firsthand account of the inhumane and traumatizing jail experiences persons with PTSD encounter and identify areas of the criminal legal system requiring intervention
Criminal behavior · Criminal justice · Criminalization · Lived experience · Mental health · Mental illness · Population · Posttraumatic stress · Child Abuse and Trauma · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
How phenomenology can help us learn from the experiences of others
Creating trauma-informed correctional care
Victimization, Social Support, and Psychological Well-Being
I am Not Your Felon
How Does a History of Trauma Affect the Experience of Imprisonment for Individuals in Women’s Prisons
Outsiders
Designing ‘Healthy’ Prisons for Women
Looking Beneath the Surface
Trauma Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Incarcerated Men
The Effects of PTSD on Treatment Adherence, Drug Relapse, and Criminal Recidivism in a Sample of Incarcerated Men and Women
Behind every woman in prison is a man”
It’s Sexual Assault. It’s Barbaric”
Testing the Trauma Model of Violence
Some guidelines for the phenomenological analysis of interview data
Strategies Mitigating the Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Incarcerated Populations
Prisons
The Impact of Incarceration on Women's Mental Health
A Phenomenological Research Design Illustrated
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |