Short-term psychological adjustment of female prison inmates on a minimum security unit

Although there has been increasing focus on female offenders in recent years, relatively little is known about the psychological pattern of prison adjustment. The present study examined the initial psychological reaction and subsequent pattern of adjustment over 3 weeks for 62 female inmates incarcerated on the minimum security unit of a state prison in the northwestern United States. Mean age was 32.96 years, and 82% of participants were European-American. Shortly following incarceration, women voluntarily completed a clinical and demographic interview and packet of questionnaires, including the Brief Symptoms Inventory. Results indicated female inmates show above-average endorsement of psychological symptoms at initial incarceration, which tend to significantly decline by the second week in prison, with the exception of hostility ratings, which remain relatively constant. Such findings have important implications for the development and implementation of programs to facilitate adjustment to prison.