In French prisons, the reality is far from that described in the series Orange is the New Black, immediately announces Claire, a psychologist working in a remand center for men. During an interview for Arte Radio, hosted by Daphné Turpin, Claire tackles the stereotypes that surround her profession, which is largely unknown to the general public. The 30-year-old explores the darker aspects of her work, while unreservedly highlighting the degrading conditions in which prisoners live, calling the prison environment “dysfunctional and abandoned by the public authorities”.
The mission of the psychologist is to diagnose possible psychiatric disorders in her patients, assess the risk of suicide, prepare for their reintegration into society. However, how can you conduct therapeutic work with men who are only allowed three showers a week, who fall asleep surrounded by dozens of cockroaches and who do not have enough to eat? “There are reasons to go very badly,” exclaims Claire, who points out that incarceration, “it’s hard-core.”
Patients deprived of treatment
When the young woman talks about her work, she is often met with surprised looks and judgmental reactions. She is often asked, “Are you alone when interviewing them?” or “How can you associate with these people?” “.
“I’m not a judge, I’m a psychologist,” recalls the one for whom it is not possible to consider the people she cares for as simple prisoners, but as men, quite simply. She likes to use humor with them to build their confidence: “Yeah, you’re dealing. You’re a businessman, what…”
Although some patients find themselves in detention for having committed serious reprehensible acts, it is important to recognize their psychiatric needs requiring very strong medical care. This is not always the case, far from it: due to the lack of personnel, the drugs do not always reach the cells, which exposes the individuals, deprived of their treatment, to intense anxieties and to dark thoughts. “There are weekly suicide attempts,” says the psychologist.
This podcast immerses its listeners in the reality of prisons in France. Claire shares “very vivid, very rich” moments, precious to both sides, both for her and for her patients. This does not prevent him from denouncing the precariousness, the lack of hygiene and the difficult living conditions faced by the detainees.
After feeling the urge to rebel against her hierarchy and wearing dark circles “up to the navel”, she ended up leaving this “post, too violent” to go to work in child psychiatry in a hospital.
