Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities
Articles Information
Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vol.5, No.3, Sep. 2019, Pub. Date: Jul. 12, 2019
Jail Term Length, Gender and Age as Determinants of Psychological Distress Among Prison Inmates in Owerri
Pages: 321-327 Views: 1300 Downloads: 418
Authors
[01] Richards Ebireonwu Ebeh, Department of Psychology, Imo State University, Owerri, Nigeria.
[02] Helen Ihuoma Annorzie, Department of Psychology, Imo State University, Owerri, Nigeria.
[03] Miracle Ifeoma Mbagwu, Department of Psychology, Imo State University, Owerri, Nigeria.
Abstract
Nigerian prisons are in a deteriorated state with the number of inmates surpassing, infolds, the original capacities; thereby resulting in some social and psychological problems. The increases in criminal cases, which have resulted in several suspects being sent to prisons as awaiting trial inmates, have worsened the conditions of our prisons. This study explored the impacts of the length of jail terms, gender and age on psychological distress among prison inmates in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. Using convenience sampling technique, 287 prison inmates were selected for the study. They comprised of 193 males and 94 females with ages ranging from 18 to 71 years and a mean age of 48.34 years. The participants were administered with the Psychophysiological Symptoms Checklist so as to assess their level of distress. Data was collected using the cross-sectional survey design while 3-Way ANOVA on SPSS version 21 was used to analyse data collected. Results revealed that prisoners, who are males, older, and serving longer jail terms, showed significantly higher levels of psychological distress among the prison inmates in Owerri. The study recommends that regular mental and physical health checks be carried out on prison inmates, especially among the aged males who are serving long jail terms.
Keywords
Psychological Distress, Jail Term, Prison Inmates, Nigerian Prisons, Owerri
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