Dizard’s (2015) newspaper article on the demise of Tanisha Anderson, a mentally ill Cleveland woman in police custody, is evidence of police brutality against the mentally ill. A clear point of understanding in this article is the fact that the police were aware of the victim’s mental illness and yet used an unprofessional method in an attempt to restrain her. The reason why mental health illness is still prevalent in our society is as a results of the stigmatization of the illness that prevents an individual from seeking the proper help. Even in the heightened sense of awareness around the issue of mental health in our society, many mentally ill individuals become victims of abuse on a daily basis. Several researchers have shown the relationship …show more content…
I make this argument to bring to light how power structures and stereotypes makes women with mental health issues vulnerable members of society and at a greater risk of all forms of abuse. This paper will critique and analyse the case of Tanisha Anderson who was abused by the police and died in custody, by examining how power structures from the Structuralism grand theory, brought about the abuse which lead to her death. The paper will draw on three peer-reviewed articles that dissect the relationship between mental health and abuse in women. It will also take into consideration the assumptions and arguments Dizard (2015) makes in the newspaper article while supporting them with St-Amand and LeBlanc’s piece on Women in the 19th-Century …show more content…
He found that, compared to all the other professions included in his research, individuals in the police profession were more likely to agree that an individual suffering from a mental health issue should be held responsible for their actions (Columbo, 2005, p. 1). His findings is supported in the case of Tanisha Anderson who the police officers mishandled and abused, in an attempt to restrain. The news article further argues that “Officers too often use unreasonable force against individuals with mental illness, individuals in medical crisis and individuals with impaired faculties" (Dizard, 2015). This argument cannot be disputed as the autopsy conducted on the victim showed that she was forcefully restrained by the officers. Again, the power imbalance creates a major role in this structured society in such a way that, the mentally disabled become the oppressed while the police officers with the power maintain their position as dominant group. Looking back from the 19th Century, not a lot has changed in the structuring of society in terms of power. Pengilly’s experience at the asylum continues to happen today outside the asylum under the watch of those who are trusted to protect the vulnerable (St-Amand et al, 2013, p.
During the 1960’s, America’s solution to the growing population of mentally ill citizens was to relocate these individuals into mental state institutions. While the thought of isolating mentally ill patients from the rest of society in order to focus on their treatment and rehabilitation sounded like a smart idea, the outcome only left patients more traumatized. These mental hospitals and state institutions were largely filled with corrupt, unknowledgeable, and abusive staff members in an unregulated environment. The story of Lucy Winer, a woman who personally endured these horrors during her time at Long Island’s Kings Park State Hospital, explores the terrific legacy of the mental state hospital system. Ultimately, Lucy’s documentary, Kings
In the book Crazy in America by Mary Beth Pfeiffer, she illustrated examples of what people with mental illness endure every day in their encounters with the criminal justice system. Shayne Eggen, Peter Nadir, Alan Houseman and Joseph Maldonado are amongst those thousands or more people who are view as suspected when in reality they are psychotic who should be receiving medical assistance instead, of been thrown into prison. Their stories also show how our society has failed to provide some of its most vulnerable citizens and has allowed them to be treated as a criminals. All of these people shared a common similarity which is their experience they went through due to their illness.
Battered women constitute one of the most marginalized groupings in the social order. Their relationship incidents occasionally put these individuals into disagreement with the law, particularly when they murder their violent partners. The Battered woman syndrome (BWS) was created by clinical psychologist (1970’s) with an intention of depicting the series of occurrences that physically abused women frequently experience in their relationships.
The article “Family Says Man Shot by Officers was Mentally Ill” discusses an incident where Kody Conley, an African-American male experiencing schizophrenia, was shot by two police officers in Omaha, Nebraska. The incident took place after Conly fired a stolen gun near Creighton University campus. After the incident took place near the campus, Conley was taken to CHI-Creighton (Creighton University Medical Center), and is said to be alive. Although he is alive, his family expresses that he is in serious condition and is in a medically induced coma. The author, Miranda Christian, reports the two police officers who shot Conley are on administrative leave, and the Omaha Police Department are currently investigating the incident.
An abused woman is always faced with a number of different choices from which she may consider, with regards to seeking help or ending the relationship with a variety of alternatives, the woman knows each decision involves a variety of risks. Time after time, the common question arises, “why doesn’t she just leave?” This question can be answered by analyzing the psychological effects domestic abuse has on women. Many women are unable to cope with the emotional and psychological stress of domestic abuse and resort to violence and extre...
This stereotype contributes to the stigma individuals’ face and encourages social exclusion and intolerance, especially in schizophrenia (Ray & Brooks Dollar, 2014). Ken sought out help and went to the emergency room because he recognized he was severely depressed. There, the doctor promised he would not be put in restraints, yet when he was taken to the hospital, he was placed in restraints because it was company policy (Steele & Berman, 2001). Due the stigma that individuals with mental illness are violent, Ken was not treated fairly (Stuart & Arboleda-Florez, 2012). Stuart and Arboleda-Florez (2012) are very credible authors to be writing on the effects of stigma in mental health. Both authors have experience in psychiatry, combatting stigma and mental health issues.
were males, 7221, and the rest 564 were females. In order to see if the participates had any sort of mental illness they looked at self reported treatment, related to mental health (Biltz). The results of this study found that the amount of inmates that participating in this study had a disproportionally number of inmates with mental healthy that were physically victimized. According to this study prisons are a violent and unsafe place for people who suffer from mental illness (Biltz). Male inmates who suffered from any form of mental illness were nearly 1.6 times more likely to be physically victimized while in prison. Females inmates who had a mental illness were even more likely to suffer from physical victimization, they were nearly 2 times more likely than male inmates with mental illness (Blitz). Inmates that were African Americans and Hispanics were more likely to be physically victimized either by inmates or staff.
A young woman by the name of Kendra Webdale was pushed in front of a train in New York City by a homeless person that suffered from a mental illness. The homeless man was not taking his medication at the time of the incident. Shortly after the unfortunate event the Kendra’s Law came into place. The law provides outpatient treatment for certain people with mental illness who are unlikely to survive safely in the community without supervision. The treatment is a written treatment plan prepared by a physician who has examined the individual. The procedure involves a hearing which includes testimony from the examining physician. If the court finds that the person meets the criteria for assisted outpatient treatment, an order is issued to the director of community services. The court orders will require the director to arrange for all services that the court finds necessary. The initial order is for up to 6 months but can be extended for up to one year. The legislation also establishes a procedure for evaluation in cases where the individual fails to comply with the ordered treatment and may pose a risk of harm. Kendra’s Law also ensures that people with mental illness who are transitioning from hospitals or correctional facilities to the community receive necessary psychiatric medications without interruption (Office of Mental Health,
In criminological history, discrimination against women was so evident and naturalised because for centuries, the underlying concept of ‘patriarchy’ or the power of men over women made it acceptable to stereotype women to subordinate women to male power (Carraine et al., 2014). Discrimination against women was maintained by the privileged group, that is men, and operated on multiple dimensions on an individual, institutional, and cultural level (Bell, 2010). On a cultural level, women were believed to be naturally suited to the domestic sphere, and
Emma E. McGinty, Daniel W. Webster, Marian Jarlenski, and Colleen L. Barry. "News Media Framing of Serious Mental Illness and Gun Violence in the United States, 1997-2012." American Journal of Public Health. Mar 2003: Vol 104, No. 3. Nursing/Academic Edition. Web. 01 Apr 2014.
The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and of that over sixty percent of jail inmates reported having a mental health issue and 316,000 of them are severely mentally ill (Raphael & Stoll, 2013). Correctional facilities in the United States have become the primary mental health institutions today (Adams & Ferrandino, 2008). This imprisonment of the mentally ill in the United States has increased the incarceration rate and has left those individuals medically untreated and emotionally unstable while in jail and after being released. Better housing facilities, medical treatment and psychiatric counseling can be helpful in alleviating their illness as well as upon their release. This paper will explore the increasing incarceration rate of the mentally ill in the jails and prisons of the United States, the lack of medical services available to the mentally ill, the roles of the police, the correctional officers and the community and the revolving door phenomenon (Soderstrom, 2007). It will also review some of the existing and present policies that have been ineffective and present new policies that can be effective with the proper resources and training. The main objective of this paper is to illustrate that the criminalization of the mentally ill has become a public health problem and that our policy should focus more on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
Several states authorize police officers to arrest mentally ill people who have not broken any law. It is argued that this process is a way to promote public order. Hospitals also transfer mentally ill patients to jail in order to deal with the overflow. It is not uncommon for children to be confined to criminal detention centers because there is a lack of facilities for severely mentally ill children. Relying on the criminal justice systems to be surrogate mental health systems conflicts with the basic notions of justice. (Aufderheide,
Continuing budget cuts on mental health care create negative and detrimental impacts on society due to increased improper care for mentally ill, public violence, and overcrowding in jails and emergency rooms. Origins, of mental health as people know it today, began in 1908. The movement initiated was known as “mental hygiene”, which was defined as referring to all things preserving mental health, including maintaining harmonious relation with others, and to participate in constructive changes in one’s social and physical environment (Bertolote 1). As a result of the current spending cuts approaching mental health care, proper treatment has declined drastically. The expanse of improper care to mentally ill peoples has elevated harmful threats of heightened public violence to society.
Patricia Hill Collins outlines the existence of three different dimensions of gender oppression: institutional, symbolic, and individual. The institutional dimension consists of systemic relationship of domination structured through social institutions, such as government, the workplace or education institutions. In other words, this dimension explains “who has the power”. This is completely related to a patriarchal society. Patriarchy is the manifestation and institutionalism of male dominance. This means that men hold power in all institutions, while women are denied the access to this power. The symbolic dimension of oppression is based on widespread socially sanctioned ideologies used to justify relations of domination. It reflects inequality
Mass media “references to people with mental health problems found more than four in ten articles in the press used derogatory terms about mental health and nearly half of press coverage related mental illness to violence and crime” (Esseler, 244). This is causing for people to look down upon the mention of mental illnesses and many times ignore the importance of confronting this issue. Therefore the importance of removing this stigmatization is crucial. Education allows to make more informed decisions and then changing the perception of mental illness can lead towards policy changes toward the improvement of mental health (Sakellari,