Open J Public Health | Volume 7, Issue 1 | Review Article | Open Access
Ahmed F. Alanazi
Department of Social Studies, College of Arts, King Faisal University, Al-ahsa, Saudi Arabia
*Correspondance to: Ahmed F. Alanazi
Fulltext PDFThis qualitative systematic review synthesizes evidence from peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025 to examine the lived experiences of incarcerated individuals with mental illness and the role of clinical social work in addressing their needs. Following the American Psychological Association's Journal Article Reporting Standards for Qualitative Research (JARSQual), this review analyzed 47 qualitative and mixed-methods studies across 23 countries, encompassing the perspectives of incarcerated individuals, correctional staff, families, and clinical social workers. The findings reveal seven overarching themes: (1) the prison environment as both a source of psychological deterioration and a potential site of therapeutic growth; (2) trauma histories as pervasive yet systematically neglected; (3) gendered pains of imprisonment and mental health disparities; (4) the criminalization of mental illness and failed diversion; (5) relational and intrapersonal resources as mediators of mental health; (6) family experiences and the hidden burden of incarceration; and (7) clinical social work as an underutilized but essential discipline in correctional mental health services. The review highlights significant gaps between the identified needs of incarcerated persons with mental illness and the availability of evidence-based psychosocial interventions. Clinical social workers are uniquely positioned to address these gaps through trauma-informed care, culturally responsive practices, family engagement, and reentry planning. Policy implications include the need for expanded mental health staffing, reduced reliance on disciplinary confinement for mentally ill inmates, systematic integration of social work perspectives into correctional healthcare frameworks, and upstream investment in community-based diversion and crisis services.
Incarcerated mental illness; Lived experiences; Clinical social work; Correctional mental health; Qualitative systematic review; Trauma-informed care; Criminalization of mental illness; Reentry planning; Community-based diversion
Ahmed F. Alanazi. Incarceration and Mental Health: A Qualitative Systematic Review Examining Clinical Social Work Interventions and the Subjective Experiences of Those Serving Sentences. Open J Public Health. 2026; 7(1): 1051.