"Grief in prison is different": on loss and grief in prison healthcare

Abstract

This article analyzes the specificities of grief experienced by incarcerated individuals within the context of Primary Prison Health Care. It is a qualitative study, inspired by Narrative Medicine, based on the analysis of a clinical narrative produced in a Primary Prison Health Unit in the Federal District. The narrative describes the experience of an incarcerated man who receives news of his son's violent death. The analysis reveals that grief in prison is marked by the absence of farewell rituals, impersonal communication of death, restricted support networks, and institutional norms that inhibit emotional expression, configuring forms of unrecognized grief. It concludes that the clinical encounter, supported by qualified listening, can operate as a device for recognition and care, challenging dehumanization processes within the prison system.