Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review | DOI: 10.13060/csr.2025.021

Mental Health and the Level of Traumatization of the Prison Population

Tereza Dleštíková ORCID...1, Jiří Mertl ORCID...2
1 Fakulta sociálních studií, Ostravská univerzita
2 Fakulta humanitních studií, Univerzita Karlova, Praha

The study aims to explore the level of traumatisation within the Czech prison population and to contribute to a better understanding of this issue in the Czech context. To achieve this, we employed a quantitative research approach and distributed an internationally standardised questionnaire focused on adverse childhood experiences (ACE) in 12 Czech prisons in collaboration with expert prison staff. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations, wherein two key variables were considered: gender and assignment to a specialised or regular prison unit. This pioneering study in the Czech Republic reveals findings that correspond to those of international research: a significant number of both male and female inmates reported having experienced substantial childhood trauma, which may have influenced their criminal behaviour. These results highlight the critical need to implement trauma-informed care in Czech prisons. However, our study has four main limitations: (1) women and inmates in specialised units are over-represented; (2) the accuracy of responses may be affected by the use of a self-report type of questionnaire, as respondents may have answered questions strategically; (3) the questionnaire asked respondents about experiences in the past, which may be difficult for them to recall accurately; and (4) the questionnaire format may be less effective than interviews, which are better at establishing a trusting relationship and ensure a better understanding of the questions.

Keywords: ACE score, adverse childhood experiences, critical criminology, critical social work, trauma, trauma informed approach, incarceration

Received: August 27, 2024; Revised: June 26, 2025; Accepted: June 27, 2025; Prepublished online: July 21, 2025 

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