Mentally ill offenders in prison are a major problem plaguing correctional facilities in the United States. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 56 percent of state prisons, 35 percent of federal prisons, and 64 percent of jailed inmates within the correctional population have symptoms or recent history of a mental health problem which include such issues as; schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression that is two to four ties above the general population (Human Rights Watch, 2009). Offenders with mental health issues who are committed into correctional facilities has a major impact on the operation of the facility, because they are not equip to handle and they are exposed to deplorable conditions, inadequate mental health services, and segregation from the general …show more content…
Almost 53% of inmate with a mental illness condition in state prisons have been convicted of a violent crime, compared to 40% of other inmates and 30% have committed a violent crime that is locally jailed, as opposed to 20% of other inmates (Mental Health America, 2015).
Several policies have been enacted to protect mentally ill offenders who have enter the criminal justice system. The Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2004 authorized the Attorney General to award grants to states and local governments, India tribes, and other organizations which are eligible, to plan and implement programs that: 1) promoted public safety by ensuring access to mental health treatment and other treatment services for individuals with mental illness; and 2) overseen cooperatively by a criminal justice agency, juvenile justice agency, or mental health court, and a mental health agency.