Mental Illness In Correctional Facilities

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There are so many mentally ill people in correctional facilities because most families do not know how to help their loves ones who suffer from a mental illness, so the call the police for help. Majority of the police officers do not know what to do or how to handle people with a mental illness disease. Police officers who are not trained to deal with the mentally ill often do not recognize that person is ill. Some police officers do not recognize if the individual should or not go to jail or a treatment center or medical facility. The impact of law enforcement and the judicial system dealing with people with a mental illness is to assist the inmates with the help they need. Also, the correctional facilities help inmates with mental illness …show more content…

The correctional facilities should provide evaluations and specific psychological test to determine if the person has a mental illness or if they do not while in jail. Inmates that have mental illness should be sent to a mental health facilities rather than being kept in jail where they not receiving the help they need. If the inmate is not treated for the proper mental disorder than they can be a danger to the correctional facilities and themselves. Lastly, if inmates are giving a psychological test then the correctional facilities will stop overlooking the inmates with a mental illness that need to be in a mental health facilities rather than housed in jail. How forensic psychologist can play a role? A Forensic psychologist help determine if the inmate has a mental illness by giving psychological test and evaluations. Forensic psychologist also help place and transfers inmates with a mentally illness. A Forensic psychologist also plays a key part in rehabilitation where they decided which rehabilitation to send the inmate to. Lastly, the Forensic psychologist will tell the treatment centers and or medical facilities what the mental diagnoses is, an idea of how to treat individuals, and what medication to give the