prisoners with phobias

[nailit]

As an ex prisoner, I am in no way seeking to condem the prison service or to seek compo or even to complain with this question. (I have not been in prison for over ten years and have now got on with my life. It is merely out of curiosity.)
My question is, just how are prisons supposed to deal with cons with phobias? Specifically, agoraphobia and claustrophobia.
I was in prison in the late 90's and at the time of sentence I was sufering from agoraphobia and socialphobia. I never went out into the exercise yard or even went for association nights as crowds made me anxious and I prefered to stay in my cell. Even going down to fetch my meals was a nightmare. I then got transferred to another jail (HMP Liverpool...AKA Walton) Where I was MADE to go out in the exercise yard, even though I was on the hospital wing because of my mental state at the time. By the time I left jail I was a wreck and was under the care of the psychiatric services for some time.
My agoraphobia was obviously ignored in Walton jail, (even though my previous jail recognised my condition). But even though I struggled in prison with my agoraphobia/social phobia what whould happen to someone who was sent to prison who had claustrophobia? You cant exactly ask the screws to leave the door open at night.
Just wondering if there were any government guidelines regarding cons with phobias?
Thanks in advance.

[joko]

other than understanding not sure what they could do. other than avoiding the trigger, phobias are not treatable. if special treatment occurred, theyd all be claiming them.
i suppose unpleasant as they are they arent life threatening so they just have to deal with it. it is punishment after all
they could issue calming medication suppose an i expect wardens are taught how to deal with genuine panic.

[craft1948]

I sympathise.................I have a phobia of being burgled, especially after the last time it happened.

[ummmm]

It's horrendous Craft. Completely knackered my sleeping patterns.

nailit...I'm guessing they are very limited in what they can do.

[SpikeyBush]

and I suppose you're completely screwed if you're one of those dudes on Banged Up Abroad languishing in Buenos Aries or Sao Paulo on drug traffiking charges if spiders give you the willies. The spiders I saw in Mexico could crack nuts with their eyelids.

[missprim]

I find your thread interesting nailit and something I've never thought about before.
Can I take it there is no psychiatric help for prisoners who suffer from phobias?
The only thing I've ever wondered about is prisoners who are drug addicts and alcholics and wondered how they cope without their daily fix.
I don't know about government guidelines but would be interested to see if someone knows the answer to your question.
Are you now cured of your phobia?
I wonder if at the end of the day though that it might depend on the prison.

[tamborine]

you wont wanna go in there again

[owdhamer]

After having several cars stolen i have little sympathy with people who end up in nick, you are not going to get kid glove treatment in nick, take the s__t ,use your brain and keep out of trouble

[sinderella]

[ummmm]

MissP....They will be put on medication and slowly weaned off.

[sandyRoe]

Couldn't they send such prisoners to open prisons?

[ummmm]

That would depend on what they had done Sandy.

[factor-fiction]

I think you need to try that link again, sinderella

[joko]

unlikely sandy, as phobia are irrational and have no proper symptoms other than panic etc...so no way to prove theyre genuine....you'd suddenly have every prisoner having severe claustrophobia etc and demanding to be moved.

i guess they see it a just another deterrent...if you have the phobia dont risk the crime...

i have claustrophobia so i know it must be horrible to have a genuine case, but other than trying to just relax theres not much i can do

mind you, a 6'5" 17st prisoner freaking out and maybe lashing out must be very hard to control and hard to distinguish between basic aggression and true phobia...

[rowanwitch]

Its interesting as the punishment is the loss of freedom.... to place a person in such distress when someone who committed an identical crime would not suffer the same 'additional punishment' might be a human rights issue, I suppose if reasonable efforts were made to ameliorate the problem e.g tranquillizers or counselling' it might be ok

[joko]

i agree rowan, some assistance should be offered...but as you say in medication and counselling, not moving them or giving special allowances...thats open to abuse...also special treatment would cause problems with other prisoners, who would think it was all an act.

[Ankou]

"Just wondering if there were any government guidelines regarding cons with phobias?"

as far as i can see, it just involves sedation. but only if the phobia manifests itself with massive panic attacks.

[rowanwitch]

I suspect they are mostly left to suffer though...therefore receiving two concurrent punishments compared to one punishment that a non suffer would experience.

[Ankou]

everyone suffers by confinement. or should do. thats the point. why should we pity the crim that suffers twice ? if they hadn't done the crime then they'd be as free as the rest of us.

[rowanwitch]

My concern would be the idea that placing the person in a situation where they suffer as a result of their phobia would mean they were punished more severely than a non sufferer. This might fall foul of rules regarding torture

[Ankou]

hence the sedation - to reduce the double suffering.