Abstract
This study sought to understand the experience of the first imprisonment in a penitentiary system and to identify adaptive behaviors triggered by this stressful context. The sample consisted of 61 inmates who were divided into two groups: remand prisoners (G1, n = 42) and convicted prisoners (G2, n = 19). Data was collected by means of a sociodemographic and criminal questionnaire and by the free evocation technique, based on the inductive terms “prison” and “future”. Sociodemographic data was analyzed using the SPSS and evocations were analyzed using the OpenEvoc software. The content evoked from the term “prison” denoted the prison facility as a difficult place to live for both groups, causing illness and physical and psychological suffering. As for the the term “future”, both groups showed positive expectations for the resumption of their lives in freedom, including having responsibility, faith, being close to their families, and being socially reinserted through work and studies. Despite the impact of the imprisonment, the content evoked in prisoners’ reports indicated the existence of protective factors in the adjustment to the life in prison. These evoked discourses may function as instruments for professionals from health and related areas to identify risk and protection factors that support the physical and mental healthcare provided for incarcerated individuals or those experiencing first imprisonment.
Keywords:
Adaptation; Coping; Prisioner; Prison; Psychology