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Treating prisoners with mental illness essay
Thesis statement for mental illness treatment for prisoners
Mental illness within the jail system
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According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (2013) mental illness is defined as a health condition that changes a person’s thinking, feelings or/and behavior which causes said person difficulty along with difficulty in functioning. Mental illness can be severe in some cases while mild in others, making one appears to not be sick at all. The ones that are severe, displays more explicit symptoms such as confusion, agitation and/or withdrawal. There are many different forms of mental illness such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism depression, schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Each of these mental illnesses alters a person’s thoughts, feelings and or behavior in distinctive ways. For example a person with ADHD has such features as being disorganized, a depressed person experience feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt and a person with schizophrenia may have delusions which is false beliefs such as conspiracies, mind control, or persecution (NIH, 2013). Often society calls for individuals with severe cases of mental illness to be locked away and be out of sight. However sadly in most cases they are locked away in jails or prison. According to Rubin (2010) a seriously mentally ill person in the United States is three times more likely to be incarcerated than hospitalized. This was confirmed by National Sheriffs' Association and the Treatment Advocacy Center who noted in a 2005 report that in no state was a seriously mentally ill person with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder etc. less likely to be incarcerated than hospitalized. This report however showed that there was a wide variation among states. For example in North Dakota a seriously mentally ill person was equally likely ... ... middle of paper ... ...situation under control, which often involves the use of force. Speaking from firsthand knowledge of working with the Connecticut Department of Corrections, I notice that the popular method mental health staff uses is to medicate these individuals then they will start to provide physical treatment such as group sessions and education. This seems to work as the inmates slow down. However I have seen where some seem to improve to a point where their mental level drops and they are return to the general prison population, but shortly after they return to their original state. This will then lead me to question what happens once they are release from prison. The question is answered both from this research and my personal observation, with the inmate simply returning to prison. Without adequate community resources it is my belief that this cycle will never be broken.
Mental illness can be a mixture of different factors. You can get mental illness through genetics meaning that it is passed down within the family. That can only happen if the mental illness is heredity. Another factor of mental illness is psychological trauma. Psychological trauma like abuse, or loss can cause some mental illnesses. When mental illness is untreated it makes it difficult for the person to function in society and deal with everyday life. The different types of mental illnesses range from anxiety disorders to personality disorders. Other mental illnesses are mood disorders, eating disorders, psychotic disorders, and impulse control and addiction disorders. An example psychotic disorder schizophrenia. Examples of eating disorders are bulimia and anorexia. According to MedicineNet.com “Most mental illnesses are caused by a combination of factors and cannot be prevented”. Mental illness is something that should not be avoided. The biggest issue when it comes to mental illness that is noticeable is when someone who has a mental il...
The purpose of jail is to control criminals, decrease crime rates, decrease recidivism, and by the end of the inmate 's sentencing individuals are expected to return to society as if everything were “normal”. However, the majority of individuals who are incarcerated is because they did not pay fines, they were not able to post bail, or because they have a mental health diagnosis. Who knew jails were the new models of psychiatric facilities. It’s been proven that people with mental illness often experience worsened symptoms, recidivism, and abuse while incarcerated. Which poses the question of is jail the place individuals with a mental health diagnosis should be?
Mental illness is a condition that interrupts a person’s thought process, mood, emotion and ability to relate to others as well as daily functioning (Halter, 2014). Approximately 20-25% of adult homeless population suffers from some form of mental illness. Mental disorders prevent people from carrying out activities of daily living, such as self-care, household management, interpersonal relationships and maintaining a job.
Rock, M. (2001). Emerging issues with mentally ill offenders: Casues and social consequences. Administration and Policy in Mental Health., 165-180.
Correctional psychologists are virtually clinical psychologists in a correctional setting. These professionals do their own, more intensive screening of an inmate’s mental health history and current mental health status. Based on their findings, they provide program recommendations, offer group and individual counseling, administer psychotropic medications, assess how each individual would be best managed. Additionally, correctional psychologists are on-call to handle emergency situations involving mentally ill inmates, such as hostage negotiations and crisis intervention. The treatment of mentally ill individuals in jails and prisons is a prominent concern that is becoming more so as more ill individuals are sentences to jail and prison stays. Currently, the United States correctional facilities are the largest provider of mental health services. (Reingle Gonzalez,et al
An estimated 650,000 offenders are released from prisons each year. Most generally leave with only a few dollars, some clothes, and possibly a bus ticket. Release practices like this are common and can be especially disastrous for mentally ill inmates. If immediately released without access to health care, the mentally ill will suffer from interruption of continuity of care. In prison, they may have been receiving medication, therapy, or other forms of treatment. Interruption of care could lead to excelled deterioration in their mental health. This tends to lead to a higher rate of recidivism among mentally-ill former prisoners. (Hummert, 2011.).
Having an illness can have an affect on an individual either physically or mentally. Anyone can be a victim of a mental illness such as, children 's, adults and senior citizens, it is not rare. There are hundreds of different types of mental illnesses and with more to be discovered in the near future. Struggling to accomplish a certain assignment or not being able to speak properly, can all be signs of someone who is suffering from a mental illness. Major depression, autism, anxiety and Schizophrenia, are just some disorders that can affect an individual’s state of mind, and over time if not not cured, it could become highly dangerous, but medications and therapy play a key role in controlling it. For some individuals enjoying life becomes
These prisons help them get stable by providing treatment programs to them for they can learn how to become stable, have self-control and to function properly. After these mentally ill inmates serve their time, jails that are associated with community clinics who provide treatment, on-site screening and follow ups after these inmates have been released. These offenders have a challenge of being in isolation or solitary due to being harmful by attacking inmates or prison guards and also can cause self- harm to
The public and the correctional system should be concerned with this problem because there is a high rate of recidivism for the mentally ill. According to Mann, “In Los Angeles, 90 percent of repeat offenders are mentally ill inmates.” The whole point of prison and jail is to teach the inmate not to commit crime, but that is not working for the mentally ill. The mentally ill need to be treated differently than the average inmate in order to reduce recidivism. Additionally, if mental health hospitals were re-opened, it would serve two separate functions. Mental health hospitals would significantly reduce taxes for the public and
In my opinion, mentally ill people should have incarceration because they post a lot of treat and cause violence to family members, friends, and society as a whole. According to a report from the Office of
Mental illness is an illness that usually isn't visible but can affect the person's thoughts and actions. Most kinds aren't severe, but some such as, schizophrenia, turrets, and autism can affect the person's life in a major way. Some of the most common least noticeable kinds are ADD, and, ADHD. They still are not an asset. Some kinds of illnesses are treatable with medication but some require therapy. If you see people being a little strange, dont judge them, instead you
In the past, mental illness was taboo to discuss and there was fear surrounding the topic. However, remarkable strides have been made in figuring out the causes of the disease and weighing the most effective treatments specialized for each specific disease. According to the American Psychotic Association, “A mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life.”
Most people also wonder, if not in a hospital seeking treatment, where are the mentally ill?... ... middle of paper ... ... Most mentally ill people rely on state-offered programs or state-provided care for their needs.
Every time a large shooting event is talked about, everyone only talks about the gun and laws on buying and owning a gun. People (politicians mostly) gloss over the fact that most times mental health/disorders are involved. No one wants to talk about mental health due to the sigma of it and how everyone is scared of it due to no real education on the topic. Many times the people who need the most help never get help they need due to the stigma of mental health/ disorders. An example is how if someone has something wrong mentally with them, they become pariahs if they talk about it. Because of the stigma and treatment problems, mental health/ disorders stigmas and treatment must change to be able to help more people.
Mental health refers to the state of individuals psychologically, emotionally and socially. Mental health affects a person’s emotions, feelings, thoughts, and sections when exposed to different situations. Furthermore, mental health is responsible for a person’s reaction to stress and other social conditions. Generally, mental health affects how a person relates to others and their ability to understand and interact with them. Therefore, problems that affect a person’s mental health affect the abilities to socialize, their feelings, moods, reaction to situations. The person experiencing mental health problem may portray different behaviors when confronted with different issues. Mental health issues have several