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Pros And Cons Of The Incarceration System

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An eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth: this is the basis on which our current incarceration system is founded, and this isn't even a relatively new idea. Mankind has been using this ideology since the Babylonian times. The question that we must ask now is why has this system continued for as long as it has? Is it because it is the best system? I believe that the reason why we haven't scrapped this dated system is due to an appeal to tradition: removing those who have done wrong in society has been working for centuries and nothing bad has come from it. This logic is very unsound considering the numerous problems that are constantly arising and are heard about in the media, especially in cases where the mental health of criminals are concerned. …show more content…

The number of mentally ill prisoners is consistently on the rise. In fact, a 1995 study found that there is a higher percentage of people with mental illnesses in prison than outside of prison (statcan.gc.ca). It's argued that the reason for there being so many mentally ill people in prison is that those who "cannot get mental health treatment in the community are swept into the criminal justice system after they commit a crime" (Abramsky and Fellner 1) and get caught up within a cycle of criminalization.

It's obvious that the incarceration system doesn't do much to help criminals with mental illnesses. At most, they are detained in special prisons with mental health facilities, yet even these programs have been proven to be insufficient, unethical, and very corrupted; it isn't uncommon to hear of stories where patients are being mistreated, secluded for extended periods of time without proper care, and removed of their basic human rights. Therefore it is fair to say that the way the current system is set up isn't to help those with mental health issues, but to imprison them despite the knowledge that their judgement is

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In “Just Mercy” Bryan Stevenson talks about the layers to each incarcerated individual. He talks about the repeated connections between issues such as mental illness and harsh home environments to juvenile offenders and mass incarceration. Stevenson goes into depth about the different internal and external issues that many incarcerated have. “In fact, there are more than three times the number of seriously mentally ill individuals in jail or prison than in hospitals; in some states that number is ten times. And prison is a terrible place for someone with mentally illness or a neurological disorder that prison guards are not trained to understand.

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People often are guilty of letting things that are out of sight be out of their mind, but human rights should not be something overlooked. The imprisoned mentally ill has been often overlooked and there voices are not heard as they struggle everyday in inhumane conditions. The eight amendment states that no cruel and unusual punishments is to be inflicted upon the prisoners. Is the United Sates prison systems treating mentally ill prisoners according to the eight amendment? The largest prison rates belong to the United states and of those imprisoned, around the world, they are ten times more likely to be suffering from a mental illness (Mills, 2007).

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Many psychiatric hospitals have closed down, which the only option left for the mentally ill was to be taken in jails and prisons. In the documentary we learn

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Yet, there is a significant proportion of death row inmates are mentally ill and the research evidence found suggests that mental illness is often, in fact, an aggravating factor as far as capital sentencing bodies are concerned. The Supreme Court eventually came to the conclusion of this: “If it is cruel and unusual punishment to hold convicted criminals in unsafe conditions, it must be unconstitutional to confine the involuntarily committed - who may not be punished at all - in unsafe conditions” (French, 2005) There are rights that each individual has, and there needs to be guidelines to make sure each person is treated fairly, even if they do not deserve such

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One possible alternative route to the prison system could be a boarding school type system where convicts are required to participate in an educational program that gives them the knowledge and ability to be released and given the needs to go make something better of the life they have been given. This system where they are required to participate in educational training would come along side a strict rule system that would encourage them to make the decision to choose something better. The debate is whether or not prison is beneficial or not for those who will be convicted, sentenced, and released. Whether we change the system or not there will always be crime and

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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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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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I agree with this statement. However, I do not solely blame the criminal for their actions due to their mental illness. Creating stricter gun laws, expanding mental health awareness

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However, they do not receive the mental help they need to understand why they did it and to help them to not do it again. Serial killers are reprimanded but do not get the mental assistance they need to help them with this illness. A drug addict that has been arrested multiple times for acting upon the effects of the drugs they are on so they receive jail time. Drug addicts don 't need jail they need rehabilitation to help with their addiction.

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There are actually many intricacies associated in a mental health court process. For instance, there are “probations, parole, the courts, jails, the community health system…” involve in the cases, which is difficult to manage, especially, for someone with a mental disorder (Docgurley, 2011). Simply penalizing accused mentally ill people will not help them become better, so through this court system, they can maintain their human rights and have the support they require to improve their condition. Mental health court, thus, is a sufficient system because it will not incarcerate and isolate indicted mentally ill

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Untreated mental illness is dangerous and over time we have learned that locking people with a mental illness is not the solution but makes it worse. People with untreated mental illness face many consequences. “People with untreated psychiatric illnesses comprise 250,000 people, of the total homeless population” (mentalillnesspolicy.org). The quality of life for these individuals is extremely heart breaking, and many are victimized regularly.

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Mentally ill prisoners in prison should be well taken care of. These offender need more care than those without a mental illness due to the illness they have they could hurting innocents civilian and guards or other prisoners like themselves or even themselves. Mentally ill offender need more medicines, Improve conditions, and the cost to keep them. Medicines Mentally ill offenders need as much more medicine than inmates without a mental illness,

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Mental health issues are major causes of criminal offenses committed, so it should be reviewed. Overall, reviewing mental health factors before delivering a punishment is showing empathetic

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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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