The Art of Doing Bird: Am I being paranoid?
If there is one mental illness which a lot of people pick up in prison, it is paranoia. It is a debilitating condition which can drive you to do things you would not normally do.
Let’s have it right; prisons are dangerous places. Inside Time recently reported the news that the homicide rate in prisons means you are 10 times more likely to be murdered behind bars than you are in the country outside. Think about that fact for a moment. Frightening, isn’t it?
Of course, when you enter the strange and violent world of prison, a healthy dose of paranoia can be a good thing. But the trouble is that a lot of people just get more and more paranoid as the years go by. And the more paranoid you are in prison, the more likely you are to be paranoid when you are finally released. It has been estimated that over 70 per cent of people in the prison system are suffering from ‘at least’ one mental disorder. So, if you enter the system with an existing mental illness, the odds are good that you will add paranoia to your ailments.
When you really think about it, the whole prison system seems to be ‘conspiring’ to increase paranoia in prisoners. It is not just a feeling; your phone calls are listened to and taped; CCTV cameras are constantly on you, watching every move; prison officers are making reports on you and writing comments in your file in secret; your mail is read; and you are never more than 20 feet away from someone whose job it is to scrutinise you. It is hard not to feel paranoid when all that is happening.
Then you add in the other prisoners who surround you: murderers, robbers, drug addicts, liars, ponces, rapists, and some just thoroughly nasty individuals who gain pleasure from chaos and like nothing better than to start a bit of trouble. The violence seems never-ending and I should think, from my own experience, that the majority of prison wings have witnessed countless acts of brutal and casual violence. That being said, at its root, paranoia is just another fear and one that usually keeps you alert to attack.
Fear of the unknown can be healthy, as it makes you proceed with caution in dangerous situations. But when it persists and starts affecting you, it is not a good sign. It will eventually make you withdraw inside yourself or worse. Never be afraid to talk about it and seek whatever help you can get, from the mental health team or a friend whom you trust not to take the p***. It is not weakness to ask for help; the mental health team are there to help you.
And remember, if prison is making you paranoid it does not mean that your fears are not real, it just means that you exaggerate them in your mind. Most times your paranoia will die down, unless you are very unlucky. Be lucky.
I’m not sure what the point of that article was. Prisons, as report after report has shown for as long as prisons have existed, are very dangerous places to live in. Mental healthcare can do nothing to protect prisoners from being beaten up by other prisoners. Only a complete abolition of prisons will do that. See Abolitionist Futures.
It humbly seems a question of whether violence is utterly random, – and hence without any potential for avoidance? Watch for another excellent article perhaps, on how not to be victim.
We see such articles also in the outside world. An amazing article recently established that take any street, walking in long strides really is more preventive than just shuffling along.