Life In Prison Analysis

When thinking of prison, like one normally and frequently does, the thought of high security prison being run like a mental institution probably doesn't cross your mind. When the thought of jail comes to mind, one thinks about those who have committed heinous crimes and need to pay the price. But in Ohio after mental hospital was closed and patients, stable or not, released back into society many mentally ill did not know how to cope with the transition and quickly found themselves behind bars. Seeing as the courts are more apt to send those with mental diseases to a correctional Institution after committing crime, petty or not. In the institution, they would be able to receive the help needed to become more stable.

The documentary, dives into the depths of the sad reality of an already depressing state, with 61% of Ohio's inmate population diagnosed with some form of mental illness, I found it very surprising with that was more than half the inmate population diagnosed there hasn't been a new psychiatric facility established. It is very upsetting that the State Penitentiary has to improve the institution for especially that it is not

supposed to provide. Jail’s primary purpose is to hold those who have convicted a felony in confinement for the duration of their sentence. But many of the inmates who have been in jail due to mental illness being a reason the petty crime was committed, have taken some sort of comfort a jail cell offers. With treatment, therapy sessions and medicines, inmates are taking system for granted and becoming patients where in a facility meant to rehabilitate hardened criminals.

Jerry Tharp, an inmate with schizophrenia, robbed a pharmacy store to place himself behind bars for a sentence of nine years. Since Tharp has a mental illness he was put into the state prison for he was able to get them treatment and medicine that he needed to become stable. In 2004 he was released to a halfway house but four months later he had robbed another pharmacy and told the arresting officers that he did it for you go back to jail. After making probation for the second time in 2009 Jerry was released again this time it only took two weeks to be charged with rape and sexual assault to land him back in jail. Jerry is not supposed to be released until September 12th 2020. (pbs.org)

I found it disturbing that upon release of the inmates they are given two weeks’ worth of medicine to help stabilize them to the through the transition into society. I feel it would be beneficial to the prison and the inmates were being released is in addition to being stepped into a halfway house they were also help in finding their own doctor. Perhaps the stress of trying to find a doctor and transitioning from the comfort of a jailhouse to the cold heartedness of the street it's too much to handle at one time.

It was said in the documentary the better you make an institution that shouldn't be used for the purpose you are improving the harder you make the for the institution to function as it should.

What stuck with me from the documentary was that 500000 of the inmates in prison are mentally ill, that is 10 times the amount in a month mental hospital. Most of the inmates that are in the prisons with mental illness has gone from a state hospital to State Penitentiary. These people do not understand life beyond the walls of a jail cell or a hospital, it is understandable that when they are shoved into society know it and no one is there to catch them they will fail and be sent right back. So I may have been repeated throughout the response I feel like I saw the need for a new psychiatric facility is so high that something needs to be

done.