NCJ Number
143086
Date Published
1991
Length
11 pages
Annotation
The author, who was involved in counseling Scottish correctional officers after the Barlinnie prison riot of 1987, documents their symptoms as being characteristic of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Abstract
On the afternoon of January 5, 1987, violence erupted in B hall in Barlinnie Prison. A number of officers were trapped in cells, and the inmates demolished the facilities in the hall. Fires were started as the inmates tried to smoke out the officers who had been trapped in the cells. Many of these officers thought they were going to die. Three prison officers were taken hostage by 11 inmates. The incident continued for approximately 4 days. The Barlinnie riot was only one in a series of riots and hostage-takings that occurred in Scottish prisons in the late 1980's. Inmate hostility continued after the riot ended. The author, who is a psychologist on the staff of the Greater Glasgow Health Board, received many of the referrals of prison officers suffering from psychological problems following this period. They manifested symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress disorder, as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Under this definition, there must be a traumatic event outside the range of usual human experience, a re-experiencing of the trauma, avoidance or numbing of responsiveness, increased arousal, and persistence of the symptoms for a month or longer. Although there is no set treatment package for posttraumatic stress disorder, certain techniques are useful. They include ventilation of emotion, relaxation techniques, cognitive restructuring, and liaison with the prison authorities to mitigate stressful situations.