Mental effects can occur during the prison sentence and following the inmate’s release.  Post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, suicidal tendencies, rape trauma, low self-esteem, and substance abuse have all been connected with inmates.  Inmates are tested mentally, psychologically, and physically and not all will be able to adapt to prison life.  Are the effects of prison on nonviolent offenders par for the course?  Some would say that the punishment fits the crime. If the individual did not wish to be in prison, they should not have committed the crime.  Conversely, it could be argued that prison is no place for a nonviolent offender; rather it is best suited for violent offenders. Incarceration serves its punitive purpose of isolation from the rest of the community and keeping the offender from participating in additional crimes in the outside world.
In addition to the negative effects left on the nonviolent offender serving time, many of these individuals leave behind families who rely on them for income or support.  “Incarcerated fathers represent 92 percent of the parents who are imprisoned, resulting in a significant portion of the U.S. resident population under age 18 with a parent in prison.”  Children with nonviolent offenders as parents are often placed into foster homes and lose their stable home life.  This instability and disorganization of the family can lead to deviancy, and even juvenile delinquency. These children often share the criminal stigma with their parents. Although they have not committed a criminal act, they are associated with criminality.  This can lead to isolation, bullying by peers, problems in academia, and mental health issues, such as depression or low self-esteem.  Does this process in turn create more criminals?  The loss of familial organization and structure has led to the creation of numerous rehabilitation programs, not only for the offender, but for families in order to maintain familial structure and help children understand and cope with the issues at hand.  It is important for the inmate to maintain community and familial relationships, as it links the offender to the world outside of the prison walls, which gives hope that this bond will prevent the offender from committing more crimes once they are released from prison.

The current trends in nonviolent offenders in prisons were identified through investigation and research.  These are issues that are currently heavily debated upon and in which new approaches are being developed.  This includes the trend of recidivism of nonviolent offenders and alternatives to prisons, which includes the sub-trends of probation and parole, intermediate sanctions, and rehabilitative programs.

When an individual is given a judicial sanction, it is done so in hopes that the person will not commit the crime again.  Ideally, their punishment will serve as a lesson in civil obedience.  When an individual commits a crime, there are negative consequences as a result.  Therefore, in order to escape such consequences, one should abide by the law.  However, we know that this is not always the case.  
