Abstract
This project examines grief behind bars for male convicts in the United States. It looks at how the circumstances of incarceration inhibit healthy grief, and also the limited ways inmates are supported after the loss of a loved one. Existent literature on this subject highlights restricted access to funerary services, delayed exchanges of information, guilt, isolation, and macho culture as features of prison life which impair healthy mourning. This project found six primary features which characterize bereavement in prison, many of which overlap with the findings of other scholars. These features were guilt, ritual constraint, the harshness of the criminal justice system, guarded emotions, the importance of friendship, and the importance of family. Ultimately, I found grief in prison to be overwhelmingly challenging for incarcerated people, reflecting a need for change in mental health policy in United States prisons.
Advisor
Nurse, Anne
Second Advisor
Walters, Jordan
Department
History; Sociology and Anthropology
Recommended Citation
Walsh, Anna, "Grief in Prison: How Incarceration Shapes Inmates Experiences with Loss" (2024). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 11203.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/11203
Disciplines
Anthropology | History | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social Justice
Keywords
Grief, Incarceration, prison, bereavement
Publication Date
2024
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2024 Anna Walsh
