Prison Psychiatrists

By Joe Pringle
Joe.pringle@medicalhealthcarecareerschools.com
Medical Health Care Career Schools Columnist

Prisoners with psychological disorders are tough to deal with. Does "prisoner rehabilitation" really work for those who may have committed a crime under the influence of a greatly impaired mental state? Should we as a society even bother trying to help them, or should we just lock them up forever and forget about their existence as well as we can?

Psychiatric Jobs

Let's be honest: psychiatric jobs are in high demand. As a psychiatrist, you will have absolutely no trouble finding a job. Despite the ever-growing numbers of people going into the field of psychology, psychiatrists are rare. Why? As a psychiatrist, you will have to go all the way through medical school, obtaining an M.D. at the end of your training.

Why Prison Psychiatry?

So with all the psychiatric jobs available, why would you want to go into prison psychiatry? There are many reasons:

State and federal government jobs are excellent long-term employment opportunities, as they pay very well and include impressive pensions after retirement.
The opportunities for research in the prison population are inherently better than those in the population at large.
You can bring hope to those whmo everyone else has given up on.

Prisoner Rehabilitation

Prison psychiatrists oversee other mental-health professionals working in the prison, and also work directly with the prisoners themselves. Prisoner rehabilitation is the primary focus of the prison psychiatrist. At the Special Offenders Unit of the Monroe State Penitentiary in Washington, for example, prisoner rehabilitation involves personal counseling, group therapy, classes, and a program called the "therapeutic community."

Getting Into the Field

You can begin your career in psychiatric medicine before you even finish your doctoral degree in psychiatry. Most prisons offer internship programs for graduate students, so you can gain knowledge and experience in the field before you even have your M.D.

About the Author
Joe Pringle is a full-time student at Seattle Pacific University, where he is studying psychology. He currently works as a freelance writer.

Posted on: May 11, 2006