Kelsie Orton, Dixie State University
Nationwide, 77% of inmates are rearrested within five years of their release, suggesting that they are not being effectively rehabilitated while in prison. Further, 64% of prisoners have a diagnosed mental illness, yet psychological care is often not available. Together, these data suggest that the United States prison system is not sufficiently meeting the needs of this vulnerable population. Previous research has suggested that insecure attachment styles and high rates of childhood adversity are independent predictors of negative outcomes in adulthood, one outcome being the presence of mental illness. However, the extent to which this is true of those who are imprisoned is not yet known. The aim of this research project, which is still under development, is to examine attachment styles and adverse childhood experiences among inmates located in a prison in Southern Utah. It is predicted that the majority of inmates will demonstrate insecure attachment and high levels of childhood adversity, both of which may have contributed to the high rates of mental illness within this population. Understanding if insecure attachment styles and adverse childhood experiences are highly prevalent in prison populations would allow us to design specific interventions for said population. Developing interventions with prisoner attachment styles and childhood adversity in mind may produce more impactful intervention results, which could in turn, significantly contribute to lower rates of recidivism.