A neuroscience approach to prison experience: On the influence of prison on the sense of agency and empathy for pain among (ex-)inmates and prison guards.

At the end of the prison sentence, former inmates are expected to reintegrate the social system. However, past research and criminological data highlight that prison sentences are not an effective mean for preventing recidivism. This project aims to investigate, with a social neuroscience approach, the potential influence of the coercive and restrictive nature of prison on two neurocognitive processes related to decision-making: The sense of agency (SoA) and empathy for pain (EfP). While previous results showed that prison can affect specific aspects of executive and emotional functioning among inmates and that coercive environments such as the military may reduce one’s own SoA, there is currently no study that has investigated the influence of prison on the neural mechanisms underlying SoA and EfP. We will take into account different social factors (e.g. the type of detention) and different groups of agents (i.e. (ex-)inmates and prison guards). We will also investigate whether and how SoA and EfP change over time after imprisonment among former inmates. Both behavioral and EEG measures of SoA and EfP will be used. Results will contribute to understanding how the restrictions of the freedom of choice impact cognitive processes that are directly related to social behaviors and to the freedom to take control over one’s life.