Rates of incarceration in the United States have grown dramatically over the past 50 years. These high rates of incarceration call for mental health and relational therapy to incarcerated individuals and their families. In conducting a literature review on incarceration, several topics emerged: mental illness, racial and ethnic disparity, and recidivism. When studying incarceration, mental illness is a necessary topic of inclusion due to high prevalence of mentally ill incarcerated individuals. When exploring issues related to incarceration, it is important to discuss diverse disparities to be able to put the individuals into context of their social location as well as address how contextual factors impact incarceration. The purpose of this article is to highlight the systemic, relational issues within incarcerated settings and then to display how treating mental illness and relational concerns allows for a healthier integration back into the family system. Clinical implications and future directions are also provided.
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