Prevalence of Mental Illness in our Criminal Justice System

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The Prevalence of Mental Illness in our Criminal Justice System Introduction Mental Illness has been prevalent all throughout our history from Isaac Newton to Abraham Lincoln to Sylvia Plath and so on. These illnesses can be as minor as a slight bipolar disorder or as severe as schizophrenia. In recent years, mental illnesses are becoming more prevalent in our criminal justice systems than anywhere else. Mental illness is becoming an association with crime and based on the information that has been found, this paper will attempt to further define the problem of mental illness within our criminal justice system and offer alternatives or insights as to how to possibly help with this problem. Literature Review In the United States alone, 57.7 million individuals suffer from mental illness. These illnesses range anywhere from mood disorders to anxiety disorders or to personality disorders and so on (The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America). 18 to 25 year olds make up about 30% of these individuals alone (Survey Finds Many Living with Mental Illness Go Without Treatment). These individuals require care from medication to psychiatry or even to confinement. However, of these 57.7 million individuals with mental illness, studies have found that less than one in three of these individuals receive proper treatment (Studies Say Mental Illness Too Often Goes Untreated). Furthermore, there are around 10 million individuals booked through the jail systems in a year. Of these 10 million individuals, around 700,000 of these individuals have symptoms of serious mental illness. However, though already high numbers, these numbers are expected to be lower than the actual due to individuals not wanting to report or not knowing to report thei... ... middle of paper ... ...ts and Opportunities for the Future." FDLE.state.fl.us. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014. Lewis, John. "Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System."Pathways2promise.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014. McLean, Brendan. "Survey Finds Many Living with Mental Illness Go Without Treatment." NAMI. National Alliance on Mental Illness, n.d. Web. 08 May 2014. "Mentally Ill Offenders in the Criminal Justice System: An Analysis and Prescription." Sentencingproject. The Sentencing Project, Jan. 2002. Web. 07 May 2014. "Spending Money in All the Wrong Places: Jails & Prisons." NAMI. National Alliance on Mental Illness, n.d. Web. 07 May 2014. "Studies Say Mental Illness Too Often Goes Untreated." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 07 June 2005. Web. 08 May 2014. "The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America." NIMH RSS. National Institute of Mental Health, n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.

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