Mental Illness In Prison Essay

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Mental illness is a widespread disease which occurs in about 40 million people. There are over “200 types of disorders and each person suffers from a different type like depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia and more” (WebMD). The number of women and men who are imprisoned with illnesses continues to get bigger exponentially. Even those who are healthy will most likely leave the institution with mental illness. It can majorly affect a person’s life if it goes untreated and in some cases, while it is being treated. Mental illness starts some time at a young age and it affects them the same way it does for adults. Fourteen to twenty percent of individuals suffer from a case of mental illness. Studies show that nine to thirteen percent …show more content…

Prison and jails have to give fundamental health care for the offenders, but the quality differs and most institutions focus on stabilizing the inmates instead of treating them. The lack of support the inmates receive worsens them mentally. Yes, they are criminals who did horrible things and deserve punishment but that does not mean they should be dehumanized. Prisoners are immediately cut off from the real world, even some prisons do not allow them to get letters which takes away the chance for the prisoner to get better when they need support from their family. Many prisoners are most likely to be more focused on fights with others, than to take care of themselves. In this case, it could take away the only hope they have to keep surviving in prison. To help them overcome the mental problems, inmates need support from family and friends that plays a critical role in their life. Isolation decreases their chance at overcoming the inmate’s issues and increases the possibility of getting mental illness. Inmates are likely to be treated bad when placed in isolation. This can set off psychotic episodes and force them to commit suicide. Many prisons have limited funds which means there are little to no mental services available. A lot of the staff needs to be more trained to handle these issues as they are barely qualified to handle some

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