Finding Strength in the Shadows: Supporting Mental Health in Prisons

Have you ever felt circumstances backing you into a corner? A feeling of the world closing in around you? How, do you cope in situations like that?

Usually, we use 3 factors to keep us in good mental health: individual factors (e.g. our minds, talking to people, spirituality, inner strength), social circumstances (e.g. sharing with other people, relationships) and environmental factors (e.g. services of others, going for a walk, keeping busy). 

Now imagine being backed into a corner means your whole world being reduced to the size of a prison cell where you might spend up to 23 hours a day. There you have reduced access to those individual, social or environmental factors. You are alone, separated from life outside and have lost control over most of the decisions you make about your life.

It’s no wonder so many people in prison have poor mental health. Many have already faced trauma in their lives, struggled with addiction issues and poverty, many have never learned to talk to anyone about their struggles, so how do they cope?

The Scottish Prison Service recognises 5 elements that helps those in our care begin to deal better with mental health issues: connectedness, hope, identity, meaning and empowerment. As people of faith, we know that these elements are found also in our relationship with God.

David in Psalm 57 is hiding alone in a cave from Saul who isn’t best pleased that God is about to take his kingdom from him and give it to David. In the Psalm we hear David praying to God. As the walls of the cave close around him he doesn’t feel threatened in fact he is strengthened. He doesn’t see cave walls he sees the arms of the loving God closing in and holding him.

Saul is still lurking outside the cave but in the cave, David shelters under God’s wings. He prays to God for mercy, he experiences connectedness to God, God renews his hope, he knows he has an identity in God, his life has meaning in God and God strengthens him by giving him a sense of how high God’s love is for him.

1 Samuel 22v1-2 tells us how God answers David’s prayer, 400 people who are also struggling turn up and join him! People who don’t have all the answers come and support him. Have you ever thought that you maybe God’s answer to someone else’s prayer?

We are grateful that so many people behind the walls of our prisons are supported and strengthened by volunteers from Prison Fellowship, Bethany Christian Trust and other organisations who get alongside and support people who are backed into cells through circumstances.

Let’s listen out to God to see who he wants us to draw alongside and support, as we do that let’s point each other to the God of David who through his greater Son Jesus, draws alongside us to fill our lives with life in all its fullness.