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Mental Illness In Prison Essay

1408 Words6 Pages

Contracting a mental illness drastically impacts one's thoughts and ways of life. More specifically, some illnesses can cause people to act abnormally and even in harmful manners. Through these unexplainable actions, many individuals end up in prison, despite not being fully conscious of their unusual actions. However, if support was provided to these people while they were imprisoned, their mental state and decision-making would improve allowing them to then contribute positively to the world. Although many fail to recognize the connection, criminals experiencing mental illness should receive proper treatment because disorders interfere with conscious decision-making, a high frequency of criminal events take place among psychiatric patients, …show more content…

In some areas, programs allow certain criminals to engage in psychiatric treatment rather than serve jail time. However, a main issue concerning this solution is that many people fail to recognize the severity of the situation and additionally do not recognize that mental illness frequently leads to crime. In a recent analysis, Robert Byron states that “public knowledge of and support for such programs are essential to breaking the cycle of crime that the current prison system perpetuates” (Byron). To move towards a more productive society, people need to become aware of this connection and therefore contribute to the change in prison systems. Additionally, many do not believe that there is a connection between mental illness and the conviction of violent crimes. However, a recent study shows that “although it remains controversial in some circles, several studies indicate that people with mental illnesses are more likely to engage in violence and other crime than those without them” (Link et al. 73). This study proves that despite many people being in …show more content…

Specifically, “research suggests that patients with mental illness may be more prone to violence if they do not receive adequate treatment, are actively experiencing delusions, or have long-standing paranoia” (Ghiasi et al.). Additionally, in the article “Psychiatric and Neurological Disorders in Late Adolescence and Risk of Convictions for Violent Crime in Men,” Moberg et al. analyze psychiatric and neurological disorders and their relation to the convictions of violent crimes. However, the relationship between these is complex due to the contribution of other staggering risk factors. According to this study, behavioral problems have the strongest association with committing violent crimes while neurological conditions have no association with committing a violent crime. Additionally, “mental retardation, substance-related disorders, personality disorders, and early behavioral problems are important predictors of convictions for violent crime in men'' (Moberg et al. 1). Based on this evidence, society must begin to provide treatment to those suffering from behavioral issues to eliminate the frequent conviction of violent crimes by mentally ill people. This study also prompts the authors to conclude that “a number of scholars have located causes in psychiatric symptoms like paranoid delusions, which are most often linked with

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This episode of PBS Frontline focuses on the growing problem of the enormous mentally ill criminal population in prisons and jails. The viewer is also provided with insight on the challenges and difficulties many of the released mentally ill face that often lead them back into incarceration. As the numbers of mentally ill offenders increase, much is debated regarding terms of release and the deinstitutionalization of the 1970’s. One of the main focuses of this episode was how many mentally ill criminals often find themselves re-incarcerated. Those that make parole or temporary supervision are usually better off being that they have someone to make sure their lives are organized.

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Police are routinely cast into conditions in which they have to recognize and quickly adapt to situations involving mentally ill suspects. This may be the reason police officers are known as “streetcorner psychiatrists, de facto mental health service providers, or psychiatrist in blue.” Some studies report that ten percent of all police contacts are with people with a serious mental illness. Other studies report that people with a serious mental illness represent six to eight percent of all state prisoners, while other data claims that over half of state prisoners have a serious mental illness. Further, people with a serious mental illness will spend more time incarcerated than people who do not have a serious mental illness.

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This is important information to understand and be aware, due to the increased number of mentally ill jailed, in life imprisonment, or on death row. Understanding the history of the problem and how it came to be can help the system gain knowledge on how to find a solution. The authors citing statistical information helped reinforce their argument however some information was observational. Observational information is good data however it cannot be used to determine causation. More information on the mental patient’s rights movement would have helped to understand a different aspect of the argument but overall an insightful

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Even after release, the counterproductive, deeply internalized patterns learned in prison are still present (Haney, 2002). In addition, the rate of incarceration of mentally ill individuals is alarming. Suspects will mental and developmental disorders are often unfairly sent to prison without regard to their conditions, leaving them helpless. Mentally ill inmates have an even more difficult time adjusting to life in prison, leaving them at an even higher risk for psychological

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I will also explore how the book could be used as supplemental material in this course. Most mentally ill individuals are non-violent and are most likely to be victims. Very rarely, you will see mentally ill individuals committing a crime. When they do commit a crime or have some sort of mental crisis, the first ones

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Katherine Jaros Dr. Ann Burgess FORS5317.01 4/19/2023 Understanding Andrea Yates: Mental Health and its Relationship to Violent Crime INTRODUCTION Mental health in criminal offenders is a highly complex and controversial issue that plays a critical role in determining how we understand and evaluate violent crimes. A significant number of offenders who commit violent crimes have some form of mental illness or disorder, which drives interest in studying such cases. Furthermore, during the legal process, there are always two sides that approach mental health in criminals and put it in consideration differently as they argue for opposite outcomes in the courtroom. Defense lawyers seek to emphasize the role that the illness or disorder

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The book indirectly supports this idea by repeatedly stating people argue that those with mental illnesses are not getting the adequate amount of help while incarcerated, and sometimes prison life may complicate the problems mentally ill people already face (Ch. 9, pg. 231). If inmates can struggle with menial tasks like standing in line for lunch or medications, or struggle with disrupting behavior, it would make sense to send them to a facility where they can get proper mental health care rather than a disciplinary system that may cause more disruptions and

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Also receiving the treatment within the jail will allow them to continue to practice safe habits when released rather than behaving criminally and impulsively bringing them back to prison. The National Alliance on Mental Illness believes that prisoners with mental health deserve access to quality mental health treatment. They give statistics to prove that mental illnesses within jails are a big problem and later provide links to what they have already done to help mentally ill prisoners in jails not receiving the treatment they need. The author believes, “People with mental illness who are incarcerated deserve access to appropriate mental health treatment, including screening, regular and timely access to mental health providers, and access to medications and programs that support recovery”(“Treatment While Incarcerated”). To be able to involve all of these different types of treatments, prisons first need to be able to include educated staff.

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1266 Words | 6 Pages

A major demographic of people that are being treated unfairly within the justice system are the mentally ill. Because of the modern lack of empathy within the system, those suffering from mental illness are not receiving the treatment and care that they need, which is limiting the justice that the system is producing. Mental illness is rarely considered when assessing crime, and this has led to large quantities of prisoners being mentally ill. In “Just Mercy”, Stevenson says, “America’s prisons have become warehouses for the mentally ill” (Stevenson 186). Because courts have a lack of empathy regarding the mentally ill, these people are being piled up in prisons, making up the majority of the population.

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The shift is attributed to the unexpected clinical needs of this new outpatient population, the inability of community mental health centers to meet these needs, and the changes in mental health laws (Pollack & Feldman, 2003). Thousands of mentally ill people flowing in and out of the nation 's jails and prisons. In many cases, it has placed the mentally ill right back where they started locked up in facilities, but these jail and prison facilities are ill-equipped to properly treat and help them. In 2006 the Bureau of Justice Statistics estimated that there were; 705,600 mentally ill inmates in state prisons, 78,000 in federal prisons, and

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243 Words | 1 Pages

In accordance to the National Comorbidity Study negative risk factors that aide towards mental illness are low income, little education, and no occupation. Given these risks an individual is almost three times more likely to have a psychiatric disorder. Socioeconomic status regarding race, gender all play a prominent role. There are disparities that exist for released mental health inmates especially for minorities, they experience a great disadvantage of finding employment due to a criminal record and mental health status. To add mental health former inmates strive to survive however, given two weeks of medication, faced with poverty, and no other available resources as a consequence re-enter the prison system.

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475 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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The Mental illness: These offenders suffer from a wide variety of mental illness from depression

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What can be done The monitoring, prevention and treatment of mental disorders, as well as the promotion of good mental health, are part of the public health goals in prisons. According to World Health Organization (2017), even in resource-limited countries, measures can be taken to improve the mental health of prisoners and prison staffs, which can be adapted to the country’s cultural, social, political and economic environment (WHO, 2017). In the British prisons, some practices and policies have also been implemented, which reflect the positive impacts of prisoners’ mental health and wellbeing. Provide prisoners with appropriate mental health treatment and care.

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(NAMI). If people with a mental illness receive counseling and/or treatment for their illness many arrests and crimes could be

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