ipl-logo

Untreated Mental Illness In Prisons

525 Words3 Pages

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. There are also cost to the communities, people with untreated MH issues end up in hospitals, shelters or jail. “In 2011, there were about 240,000 seriously mentally ill people in prisons and 125,000 in jails, an additional 770,000 seriously mentally ill are on probation or parole. There are now more than ten times more seriously mentally ill persons in jails and prisons than in state hospitals” (mentalillnesspolicy.org). …show more content…

“The Department of Justice report found: of spouses killed by spouse 12.3 percent of defendants had a history of untreated mental illness; of children killed by parent 15.8 percent of defendants had a history of untreated mental illness; of parents killed by children 25.1 percent of defendants had a history of untreated mental illness; and of siblings killed by sibling 17.3 percent of defendants had a history of untreated mental illness”

Show More
Related
602 Words | 3 Pages

Their are around 500,000 mentally ill people that are put away in prisons and jails. In the documentary “The New Asylums”,Ohio's state prison system reveals the issues that are ongoing with mentally ill inmates. The major problem we have today is that no one is taking care of the people of these people. Most mentally ill people live by themselves with no family or friends to take care of them and they are off their medications. The mentally ill come in to prison on non violent offenses such as disturbing the peace, trespassing, etc. After leaving mental hospitals they usually end up on the streets and become homeless.

Read More
1833 Words | 8 Pages

Currently the World Health Organization claims that 450 million people around the world suffer from some kind of mental or behavioral illness, and this impacts 15.4 percent of the lives lost around the globe. The American Psychological Association states that in order for something to be a mental illness, it needs to be deviant, dysfunctional, and distressful (Myers 561).Through this staggering number, the world understands and acknowledges those impacted by psychological disorders, yet it only sits back and stares. To these people, their emotions, life, physical and mental well being is compromised yet the resources to aid them and bring them back to the everyday world are not readily available. The confusion, lack of control, and external pressures exerted on a mentally ill person leads them to deviate away from the normal ways of society. In order to bring them back and make them a functioning member of society, the hospitals and government should spread their programs and make it more easily available and cheaper, since many of the mentally ill lack the social acceptance that most people have.

Read More
1426 Words | 6 Pages

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.

Read More
679 Words | 3 Pages

“Many cultures have viewed mental illness as a form of religious punishment or demonic possession. In ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, and Roman writings, mental illness was categorized as a religious or personal problem (“"Mental Health Hospitals and Deinstitutionalization”).” This quote shows that even in the ancient civilizations, people viewed mentally ill people as being “possessed” but really it was the lack of understanding and religious fervor that led to this conclusion. Some of the treatments they used were, “Priests often solaced mentally disturbed individuals by encouraging them to repent their sins and seek refuge in God’s mercy (Foerschner, par. 2).” They would make them go to church regularly, and go on holy pilgrimages to

Read More
1349 Words | 6 Pages

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

Read More
834 Words | 4 Pages

In the book Girl, Interrupted, by Susanna Kaysen, one of the biggest focal points is mental illness. Mental illness can be tough to talk about, simply because the phrase “mental illness” encompasses such a wide range of conditions and conjures up images of deranged people, but it is very important, especially in this book. There is a certain stigma that people who are put into mental hospitals because they have medical problems or are insane and a possible danger to society. While this is sometimes true, it is far more common for patients to need help for a disorder, but just don’t know where to go or what to do, and can end up putting themselves or someone else in danger.

Read More
1461 Words | 6 Pages

“Only 28.5 percent of Americans with identifiable mental illness seek services annually,” and of those 28.5% only 11% were receiving the necessary medication (Rosenheck). The veteran population is more likely to experience traumatic brain injuries and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which are one of the most substantial risk factors for homelessness (Fact Sheet: Veteran Homelessness). Not only are many non-veterans not seeking medical treatment for their mental illnesses, but many veterans as well are also not seeking the same treatment. This is apparent since there are 50% of homeless veterans who have a serious mental illness, which is not including those who have a mental illness that is not as apparent or life altering. Likewise, there are also 51% of homeless veterans living with a variety of disabilities, and 70% of

Read More
1528 Words | 7 Pages

The purpose of their study was to establish a better understanding of the characteristics of the mentally-ill homeless adults. Upon the collection of data through a review of the archived shelter medical records of the 74 subjects included in the study, the researchers aggregated and analyzed the data, calculating the medication adherence rates for the previous 30days. Mental illness and substance use disorders in the study were identified in 67.6 percent and 44.6 percent of the participants respectively. These findings prompted the acknowledgement that homeless individuals suffering from mental illness that specialized transitional shelters serve constitutes of population whose psychiatric, social and mental needs are complex. Thus, the characteristics of homeless populations are complicated by the numerous needs that need systematic assessment and thoughtful addressing to enhance the likelihood of successful outcomes (Viron, Bello, Freudenreich, & Shtasel, 2014).

Read More
1363 Words | 6 Pages

(Montgomery et al., 2016),Doctors studying health have found a correlation between unsheltered homelessness and premature death. They have found that homeless people who have mental illnesses will overuse substances which usually leads to overdoses. Although it is simple to assume that providing better healthcare and shelter for the homeless would solve the problem, there are limitations to these solutions. The limitations of these solutions are funding and finding people to

Read More
503 Words | 3 Pages

I disagree that female offenders, and offenders in general, who are suffering from serious mental illnesses should be treated within the prison system and should instead be treated within the mental health system. No one, no matter what gender or mental illness — whether it be serious or non serious — should be treated within this system as the general environment is chaotic and unhealthy and even unhealthier for those who are suffering from general mental illness. Things such as artificial lighting and sharpness within the architecture can cause a decline within mental health as well, these things can cause mental health to decline even if the prison when they were at trial was mentally healthy. Even the labelling of someone as seriously mentally ill can have an adverse affect on their mental health, because someone has diagnosed them with something serious.

Read More
860 Words | 4 Pages

Mental health is a big problem in the United States and their needs to be programs and organizations to help the mentally ill. Society has turned a blind eye to the mentally ill and do not care for them that much, which makes the mentally ill feel unwanted. Mentally ill people need outlets that act like family to them so that they feel wanted. Although the 21st Century Cures Act, was passed to help mental ill people it has not done enough. We need to have more programs and facilities to help mentally ill people and educate the schools and the public about mental illness.

Read More
1196 Words | 5 Pages

There is simply not enough support in place to help out all the hundreds and thousands of homeless people suffering from a mental illness. It is already hard enough for a homeless person to be able to support themselves and be able to find a way to afford a place to stay and for a vast of amount of them it is made even more difficult with them having to go through these mental illness while already being homeless and not being able to purchase medicine or

Read More
1225 Words | 5 Pages

The problem is that not enough is being done to deal with the growing population of untreated individuals who are left on the streets to fend for themselves. These patients are a problem to themselves and their respective communities. Their unpredictable behaviors threaten their well-being and the safety of fellow citizens. Those with mental illness are unable to function on a basis that allows them to take care of themselves, as a result their chances of survival are unpredictable. Those who are mentally ill are at an unstable position of survival because they lack the ability to be independent, such as providing for their everyday needs.

Read More
577 Words | 3 Pages

One in four people is a pretty large ratio. These people could be your family or friends, and the fact that many of them are not able to receive the proper treatment that they require should be alarming. Mental illness affects more lives than one would expect and this epidemic could be easily solved if mental healthcare were to be more accessible. Currently, The United States spends as little $113 billion on mental health treatment. That works out to about 5.6 percent of the national health-care spending, according to a 2011

Read More
947 Words | 4 Pages

There are more people incarcerated who have a mental illness that there are in psychiatric hospitals. (Psychology Today). Mental Health America reports that “there are more than 1.2 million people currently residing in prisons and/or jails with a mental health condition and lack of access to mental health care”. (MHA). 40% of adults with a serious mental illness will be arrested at some point in their lifetime, usually for disturbing the peace or for a petty crime which are caused by their mental illness.

Read More

More about Untreated Mental Illness In Prisons

Open Document