Prison is not just a time of punishment, it is also a time of survival. Here in these prisons where men are held, and deprived of all social ties, family and anything must make a new way, a new world in a sense. Prisoners divide themselves into gangs, clicks, and groups that get them through prison. Each group has leaders, and they all protect each other, in exchange for anothers deeds. There are the people and groups who run the prison, intimidate and get what they want. We call them the predators. Then there is people like Scott Krendall who fall under the prey category in prison. Krendall was charged with man slaughter when he hit a vehicle and killed a pregnant ladies baby. Scott had no criminal record, and was a good and normal kid. He really has no place in prison, but he has to survive with all of these hard criminals. Its interesting to see how all the inmates treat him. The treat him as "fresh meat" they persuade him to do things, and they find his weaknesses. They know that he is just another guy to intimidate and get what they want. Scott will have to find out how to survive. But, it isnt just new prisoners that have to survive, but the new guards are also tested. Its interesting to see just how manipulative these prisoners can be. The are in their own groups and are running their own dictator ships. It seems like they are just after power and prestige, because those are the only things they still have access to. Out of all of this grouping, is where get all of this conflict. I think that prisons should take steps to reduce the predator and prey distinction. Prison is supposed to be a place to rehabilitate and re-socialize inmates. You go to prison because you committed a crime, not to do more crime. Prisons should perhaps have better seperation techniques and provide fun and meaningful programs. I know prison isn't supposed to be fun and distracting, but it also isn't meant for more crimes to happen. I thinking finding someway for these guys to come together and have a great time, through programs etc, would reduce this tension and conflict that holds them apart. This predator and prey stigma that prisons have, is what is making them so violent, in my opinion. Music 456
Where do we begin and when will it end? This topic was ignored for hundreds of years, since the early constructs of prison institutions (lock them up and throw away the key, they said), and now since there is no longer a segregation of mental hospitals and prisons the government is finally realizing that they made a mistake. I may sound crass but regardless, I don't care if it comes off like that. I'm only a little over thirty years old, I remember Zeller's functioning in this area, and I remember how they actually did help those with mental disparities adapt to society, jobs, and life. The alternatives now are the top floor of Methodist (which has always been rumored as the worst type of treatment)(and yes, I've met more than a few of these individuals). One-fifth of prisoners currently have a mental illness, out of the easily 2 million prisoners. There is no money to treat them appropriately because we waited so long to address to the misdiagnosis' of the sixties through the present-day. I blame this on what has led to many temporal problems with crime, prosecution, and drugs. This 'national' summit was to address a serious, serious issue and yet only 37 states were represented. I guess the other 13 were too busy. The screening process in Cook County that we watched was a great idea, and I believe these should be mandatory across the nation. I am still shocked that this is Chicago of all places. Screen before there is further chance for a mental state to deteriorate. Two point three percent of social workers are unemployed and the National Association of Social Workers is said to grow 19% between 2012 and 2022, probably more if the screening process becomes mandatory. Tapia and Dart's 'discharge lounge' is another brilliant way to correct the situation, allowing those with mental issues a place they can go or return to in order to get medical advice. The elimination of solitary was something that eluded me but the numbers don't lie. I do hope that police academies train in the areas of mental health as well. My moral compass believes that thanks to the terms of doing away with so many institutions over the last 50 years, it has now become up to all of us. Represent the appropriate actions needed for those who need it. It's the evolution of the human condition. - StrongArm789
I agree with you about the government making a mistake by not segregating prisons and mental hospitals. They are not giving the inmates with mental illness the proper treatment they need. They are just medicating them and calling it good. We need to develop more rehabilitation programs for inmates with mental illness so we can get them back to their normal self and help them with their illness. dragons789
This was a great post; what I liked most was saying that police will have to take a major step in their training to deal with mental health issues. It will lay heavily on officer’s shoulders in how they deal with someone who has a mental disability or is suffering from an episode when they meet them. Birdman789
The topic of the mentally ill and jails is becoming a popular topic. When a person goes to jail they have all of their social ties and family connections taken away or limited to little time. They must make a new way of life while they are incarcerates which takes a toll on someone. About one-fifth of prisoners have a mental illness. If you think about all of the people that are incarcerated, that is a large amount of inmates who suffer from a mental illness. Prisons cannot afford to properly treat the inmates with a mental illness. The government is shutting down a lot of the mental health facilities so they are just sending a lot of people with mental illness to jail or prison as treatment, which is very ineffective. They don’t give them treatment, they just medicate them and a lot of the time they don’t even get their medication when they are suppose to. Due to jails and prisons just giving them medication we have people who aren’t even close to being themselves and are completely out of it. If we could develop treatment programs in prisons for the mentally ill we could get the inmates back or close to their normal self. dragons789
The mental health issue is an ever increasing problem every year and no real big steps have been taken to help it yet. Prisons and jails are becoming the new mental health institutions around the country since there are a lot of inmates suffering from mental health problems and the fact that other mental health facilities are getting closed down around the country. I don’t get why they are focusing on local jails and their treatment because the inmates are there for a short amount of time. Jails should treat their inmates, don’t get me wrong, because it could help them when they get out but since they are there for a short amount of time then the inmate won’t get the proper help they need anyway. The issue in mental health is supposedly a big issue around the country but a good chunk of states did not even show up to the national summit to talk about the mental health issues and ways to fix it. With turnout like that then not a lot will get accomplished around the country, all the states need to come together and think of how to fix the issue instead of let a few states do it and have the other states sit back and watch. Birdman789
I agree with you. It seems like that they don't give these inmates any type of proper treatment. It sad how these prisons have came to this conclusion. Why not treat these inmates when they have a serious illness. DaBulls456
More people are mentally ill these days, and since it has become more of a problem; then we should focus on solving the problems instead of locking them away. Giving them the right treatment can help, but you can not get rid of a serious mental illness. Locking them away does not only make it worse for them, but for the people who are paying taxes as well. bamboo456
I actually think the jails should focus more on rehabilitating those individuals with mental illnesses. Even though they are there for a short time they will most likely commit another crime and come right back. This is most likely because they are receiving little to no treatment. The jails can use this short amount of time to rehabilitate these inmates to prevent them from coming back.
The issue with mental health in jails is the fact that more and more are going there instead of places they need to go to get help. If someone is suffering from a mental illness, then they need to be institutionalized not put into jail. Yes, the jails gave them treatments but these people need long term treatments, not short term. It takes a very long time for the human mind to unlearn or change the way it had been doing and thinking for a great amount of time. Not only are they overcrowding the jails they are also making the mental institutions shut down, you know the places where they actually should be. Instead of throwing them in jail, let them go to the mental institution, get help, then serve their time in some way. If this is such a huge issue around the world, why did a great amount of sates did not show up for the summit? If we are making such a huge deal about it, the states need to up their game and come up with some solutions. Not to just sit back and act like they care when they do not, because believe it or not a lot of people do care especially those no getting the right kind of help for their mental illness. Extreme456
I agree with your ideas. Mentally ill people who commit crime is most of the time because of their illness. It needs treatment not punishment. That wont help anyone to just throw these individuals in jail, it will possibly make things worse. I like what you had to say about institutions shutting down. Why do we even have these facilities if we don't utilize them for their intended purpose? Twal456
This article was a real eye opener. I never really thought about how inmates can suffer from a mental illnesses. It states where it says that one-fifth of inmates had a "serious mental illness." Is there more to that or is that what they think we should hear. If that is the case then these inmates should be getting more treatment then just a little of it or none at all. What do they do with these type of inmates hope that they will "break the illness". I also saw where those inmates are not to be alone for at least 23 hours in a cell. I don't think that will help because where is that other hour because those inmates will mostly likely crack in the end. It just comes to show that some mental ill inmates can crack at any minute and it could be a bad part on the their part because they didn't give them enough treatment. Overall this article was interesting. DaBulls456
The mentally ill has become a serious problem now a day because it seems as more people are getting diagnose of having a mental problem. Everyone at least knows someone that has a mental problem, or they have one themselves. People who are mentally ill cannot think right and often it leads them into some trouble with the law. Some hear voices in their head that cannot go away and leads them into doing acts that normal people would not think of. Being locked up in a cell would only make it worse for them because they are not getting proper help. Being placed in solitary confinement can make anyone go out of their mind. Humans are social animals meaning that we need interaction with people in order to stay sane. Cut that interaction we then begin acting like wild animals. I have heard stories of people being locked up in solitary and whenever someone brings them food they begin to throw their feces at the person. We have the most people in prison than any major country, and a lot of the people in them are mentally ill. People who are mentally ill should be getting help instead of getting punished for actions they cannot control. bamboo456
Yes, mental illness has become an increasingly large problem. Which appears even larger when little to nothing is being done about it. Along with general reforms needed to be made to the criminal justice system I believe a thorough job needs to be done when deciding how to address providing adequate care for the mentally ill. From being able to give life changing medicine to group therapy and coping skills. Scooby789
America is holds the lead, in how many people we incarcerate. America holds 2.2 million people, in jails and prisons. This obviously is costing tax payers, and states so much money. Our officials complain all the time about how many people we have in jails, and are looking for ways to cut costs. Often times these costs come at the price of the prisoners. For example they may get less showers, or even worse food, to save food and water costs. Yes, in prison they aren't going to get the best food, but when its to the point where its moldy and has bugs on it, thats a problem. This article is right. If we take the approach on focusing on mental health issues, we would be a lot better off. We wouldn't have as much prisoners and would be spending less money. The whole goal of jail is to rehabilitate the offender and prepare them again for society. Well when 1 in 5 people have an illness, it is going to affect how they are prepared for society, and they will have higher recidivism rates. It will be expensive to bring in the right programs etc, but it will be an investment for the future, to save money in the long run. I feel the main focus these days is that we just throw the people in , make them survive and thats it. Yes we have all these programs and what not, but sometimes I question how serious our officials are about mental health and rehabilitation, and not about the money. If we want to save money and have less people in jail, we need to do something, and something fast to help mental health issues. Music 456
With the amount of prisoners the United states holds, it is not possible for us to pay for all the programs prisoners may need. I don't think it's fair that prisoners are not given a real chance. I know they are in there because they did bad things, but let the rapist and murderers stay in prison and give probation to those for drug accounts, that way the ones who need help will get adequate help. Piglet456
Jail is one of the worst places for people who already struggle with mental illnesses to go. Or for that matter, anyone at all really. The treatment for people who have gone to jail is practically non existent, and people generally cycle through. It isn't safe to be kept out of the community for that long. New inmates telling stories about the outside is different from actually living on the outside and it is a big adjustment for inmates when they finally get out. But where is their help when they get out. I really like the quote in this article "if we can't get someone stabilized, we need to get them to a hospital." I think that is the best thing to do in cases like this. Mentally ill inmates could hurt other inmates and guards and that is not okay, if they have the potential to hurt inmates they should not be in the jail, and they can't be stuck in solitary either because that will cause even more mental health issues. Piglet456
You know there has to be a problem with the criminal justice system when they dispense more Mental Health treatment than facilities designed to treat mental health issues. Because of the deinstitutionalization movement that happened in the mid to late 1900's many of the mentally ill we're left to fend for themselves on the streets. A life on the streets turned to a life of crime very quickly and now many of these people find themselves in jail instead of receiving proper care. As a result of overcrowding and many of incoming prisoners suffering from some type of mental illness treatment is scarce. Those who suffer from more of a serious mental illness not having the proper medications can drastically change the conduciveness of a person in society. Many inmates do not receive their prescription drugs when they are not incarcerated this making them easily susceptible to being incarcerated again. Either the reopening of more mental health facilities needs to be taken into action or an increase in funding needs to be provided to the prisons in order to give adequate mental health care to their inmates. Scooby789
I 100% agree with the first sentence of your post!! I think that is one of the most important things to note about people with mental illnesses. How sad is it that there are more people being treated in jail, rather than some sort of mental health facility. In jail, they rarely get the adequate help they need anyway. I also agree with you about the medication being a huge problem when they are not in jail, because they will tend to self- medicate. Cards789
After reading this article and watching a couple of the videos we have in class about the mental health issues within jails, I cannot help but be irritated by the fact that more people are receiving treatment within jails or prisons than are actually receiving treatment in a facility. Considering the fact that once mentally ill people are within the jails or prisons, it is really hard to give them adequate help, I cannot understand how anyone would view this as the best thing to do. I am glad that people are finally seeing it as important to screen the individuals coming in and keep a closer eye on anyone who is potentially at risk for suicide, but more needs to be done to help these people. Often times, they are incarcerated because they are struggling on the outside, and resort to self-medicating with drugs on the street because they are cheaper than their medications. We need to get this under control and find a staff that is better equipped to deal with mental illnesses. Cards789
I'm almost thinking that all inmates heading into the penal system should undergo a type of screening test, not just the ones who are coming into the system for the first time. It's a false pretense for society to shut down mental health facilities and stop caring about those individuals like they never existed, until they get arrested. The terrible thing that yes, prison is a terrible place for anyone, but it's truly hard to express and relate that the mentally ill can only find solace and the help they need by committing crimes, because that is exactly what society has prescribed to them. It's a revolting revolving door that has goes in and out repeatedly. - StrongArm789
As a tax payer I know this isn’t the only scam I am exposed to thanks to the great state of Illinois. I like to see some ‘policing’ of people who benefit from non-treatment of the incarcerated. “1/5th of jail inmates had a ‘serious mental illness.” Crazy. These industrial prison complexes are ginormous of course they are going to have more people than any U.S. hospital. This doesn’t seem too much of a stretch. The question is: Do the prisons make money for a ‘revolving door’ of inmates? Yes. They are taking our money to do it. Should these Penology institutions be held accountable for releasing ‘seriously dangerous’ individual into surrounding communities. I don’t see any legislation that would make this stick. What if they were held accountable for the health and wellbeing of all prisoners? First, they would be broke and closed within a months time . Private prisons no longer being profitable might become less corrupt in different hands. This is a pay me now or pay me later process. Provide mental illness treatment while warehoused or upon release. If not, without acting preventatively we will pay later. The $150.00 paragraph smells like an attempt for bail reform. I don’t think bail should be removed. Bail should still be viewed as a deterrent. If you are provided monies from your state to achieve bail you are being further incentivized to commit crime. My overall feeling after reading this article is that as Criminal Justice professionals we need to be familiar with mental health and substance abuse disorders. A large percentage of the people that we will have contact with suffer from one or both of these afflictions. If we don’t understand who are main ‘clients’ are we will not be as successful in our employment. Create a dialogue. Question. Be Political. Be Human. Doberman789
Mental illness is becoming a serious issue in prisons around the country. One fifth of inmates have a serious mental illness, and it is important to try to get these people help before they end up in our prison system. It is sad to know that an inmate died in an Illinois prison after being shocked with a stun gun. It’s comforting, however, that Kincaid is working to get inmates 24/7 access to therapists. Eliminating solitary is important too because I think anyone would go crazy spending 23 hours alone in a cell. I realize that jail/prison aren’t supposed to be fun, but it is important to remember that these are still people who are supposed to be getting prepared to reenter society as regular citizens. I think that it is important to not only be training corrections officers, but it is important to be training police officers to recognize these illnesses and attempt to help these people before they get in trouble. Blues456
Your comment holds a lot of truth, it is crazy to process 1/5 of inmates have a serious mental illness. Prisons and jails don't have the resources that a mental hospital would. I do think it's good that a 24/7 therapist can be available wouldn't that be a service that the poorest of the poor in the US can get? Inmates are guaranteed the same services, however it must be a step lower than what the poorest person in the US can get. I do understand they are a special need inmate, in theory, it depends how you want to look at the situation. I do think a 24/7 in theory looks good, however I don't think that is the solution. Don't forget there are members outside of prison and jails who suffer and don't have the luxury of a 24/7 therapist
Mental illness is a serious epidemic around the world, but it's very difficult I think to deal with sometimes. It's hard to understand a mental illness when you don't suffer from one. But I think that this "stepping up" program is a really good start for the criminal justice system. I think it's very important to eliminate solitary because anyone is going to go mad sitting in a room all day, but someone with a mental illness problem, that is only going to mask the problem not help it. It's good that these officers are getting mental health training as well, only 23% have the training right now but it's also very new, I think it needs to be brought up in more departments and made available. They need to be able to recognize these situations and symptoms so we don't have more fatalities across the country. -dicaprio789
When mental hospitals get cut from state funding the jails have to come and handle the issues that people have no control of. In regards to special needs inmates and the needs that must be met in keeping their mental status controlled is medication and a well trained staff. In this case the Step Up program is a step in the right direction. However many of the police officers aren't trained, there are some who are and have been able to intervene early because jail isn't always the answer. As well as solitary confinement, thinking about how people have been treated in the past because of a lack of knowledge is sad. Though change is around the corner it'll take time and officers who are familiar with the signs and understand not everyone they run into is a bad person even if it may seem like they are.
In this article it states: "The organization said there were more mentally ill people in the Los Angeles County Jail, Chicago’s Cook County Jail, or New York’s Rikers Island jail complex than in any U.S. psychiatric hospital." This is absurd, we should not be punishing people for having mental illnesses. These are things that people live with everyday and cannot control. It also said at least one fifth of jail inmates have a serious mental illness. This just further proves that the police departments and society has no idea what to do with these people. In Chicago, six of the twelve psychiatric hospitals were closed. This caused those who were receiving treatment in those to be released into everyday society with no one to take care of them and no medication. Some times they turn to a life of crime because they don't know what to do. Some even commit crimes on purpose knowing they will land in jail so they can get their medication and have a place to live. if these psychiatric hospitals keep being closed, then we will almost certainly see the crime rate increase. Police officers also need to be trained in how to deal with these people and have them get proper help and medical attention to protect them from themselves abd to protect others.
The fact that there are more mentally ill people consuming jails in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York than any psychiatric hospital in the U.S. really surprised me. I do see the need for jails in our country, however, I think the justice system needs to be better on how they sentence individuals, especially ones with mental illness. The article talked about cutting down on solitary confinement. I totally agree with this idea! If you have a person who is already struggling with a mental illness, put them in jail and then take them away from the already segregated jail population, your going to feed the mental illness in a very negative way. Pure isolation can be absolutely terrifying and horrible for your health. I see how it can be used as a form of punishment in a jail setting but it shouldn't be used casually. It should never be used on mentally ill inmates in fact, they should be able to talk and socialize in groups to better their condition. The article also talked about the large amount of tax payer money going into the jail system to fund these individuals. We all know our corrections system is majorly over crowded. If we could focus and determine what individuals have mental health issues and place them in hospitals or institutions, we would save money and they would receive the care they need. Twal456
Prison is not just a time of punishment, it is also a time of survival. Here in these prisons where men are held, and deprived of all social ties, family and anything must make a new way, a new world in a sense. Prisoners divide themselves into gangs, clicks, and groups that get them through prison. Each group has leaders, and they all protect each other, in exchange for anothers deeds. There are the people and groups who run the prison, intimidate and get what they want. We call them the predators. Then there is people like Scott Krendall who fall under the prey category in prison. Krendall was charged with man slaughter when he hit a vehicle and killed a pregnant ladies baby. Scott had no criminal record, and was a good and normal kid. He really has no place in prison, but he has to survive with all of these hard criminals. Its interesting to see how all the inmates treat him. The treat him as "fresh meat" they persuade him to do things, and they find his weaknesses. They know that he is just another guy to intimidate and get what they want. Scott will have to find out how to survive. But, it isnt just new prisoners that have to survive, but the new guards are also tested. Its interesting to see just how manipulative these prisoners can be. The are in their own groups and are running their own dictator ships. It seems like they are just after power and prestige, because those are the only things they still have access to. Out of all of this grouping, is where get all of this conflict. I think that prisons should take steps to reduce the predator and prey distinction. Prison is supposed to be a place to rehabilitate and re-socialize inmates. You go to prison because you committed a crime, not to do more crime. Prisons should perhaps have better seperation techniques and provide fun and meaningful programs. I know prison isn't supposed to be fun and distracting, but it also isn't meant for more crimes to happen. I thinking finding someway for these guys to come together and have a great time, through programs etc, would reduce this tension and conflict that holds them apart. This predator and prey stigma that prisons have, is what is making them so violent, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteMusic 456
Where do we begin and when will it end? This topic was ignored for hundreds of years, since the early constructs of prison institutions (lock them up and throw away the key, they said), and now since there is no longer a segregation of mental hospitals and prisons the government is finally realizing that they made a mistake. I may sound crass but regardless, I don't care if it comes off like that. I'm only a little over thirty years old, I remember Zeller's functioning in this area, and I remember how they actually did help those with mental disparities adapt to society, jobs, and life. The alternatives now are the top floor of Methodist (which has always been rumored as the worst type of treatment)(and yes, I've met more than a few of these individuals). One-fifth of prisoners currently have a mental illness, out of the easily 2 million prisoners. There is no money to treat them appropriately because we waited so long to address to the misdiagnosis' of the sixties through the present-day. I blame this on what has led to many temporal problems with crime, prosecution, and drugs. This 'national' summit was to address a serious, serious issue and yet only 37 states were represented. I guess the other 13 were too busy. The screening process in Cook County that we watched was a great idea, and I believe these should be mandatory across the nation. I am still shocked that this is Chicago of all places. Screen before there is further chance for a mental state to deteriorate. Two point three percent of social workers are unemployed and the National Association of Social Workers is said to grow 19% between 2012 and 2022, probably more if the screening process becomes mandatory. Tapia and Dart's 'discharge lounge' is another brilliant way to correct the situation, allowing those with mental issues a place they can go or return to in order to get medical advice. The elimination of solitary was something that eluded me but the numbers don't lie. I do hope that police academies train in the areas of mental health as well. My moral compass believes that thanks to the terms of doing away with so many institutions over the last 50 years, it has now become up to all of us. Represent the appropriate actions needed for those who need it. It's the evolution of the human condition. - StrongArm789
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the government making a mistake by not segregating prisons and mental hospitals. They are not giving the inmates with mental illness the proper treatment they need. They are just medicating them and calling it good. We need to develop more rehabilitation programs for inmates with mental illness so we can get them back to their normal self and help them with their illness. dragons789
DeleteThis was a great post; what I liked most was saying that police will have to take a major step in their training to deal with mental health issues. It will lay heavily on officer’s shoulders in how they deal with someone who has a mental disability or is suffering from an episode when they meet them. Birdman789
DeleteThe topic of the mentally ill and jails is becoming a popular topic. When a person goes to jail they have all of their social ties and family connections taken away or limited to little time. They must make a new way of life while they are incarcerates which takes a toll on someone. About one-fifth of prisoners have a mental illness. If you think about all of the people that are incarcerated, that is a large amount of inmates who suffer from a mental illness. Prisons cannot afford to properly treat the inmates with a mental illness. The government is shutting down a lot of the mental health facilities so they are just sending a lot of people with mental illness to jail or prison as treatment, which is very ineffective. They don’t give them treatment, they just medicate them and a lot of the time they don’t even get their medication when they are suppose to. Due to jails and prisons just giving them medication we have people who aren’t even close to being themselves and are completely out of it. If we could develop treatment programs in prisons for the mentally ill we could get the inmates back or close to their normal self. dragons789
ReplyDeleteThe mental health issue is an ever increasing problem every year and no real big steps have been taken to help it yet. Prisons and jails are becoming the new mental health institutions around the country since there are a lot of inmates suffering from mental health problems and the fact that other mental health facilities are getting closed down around the country. I don’t get why they are focusing on local jails and their treatment because the inmates are there for a short amount of time. Jails should treat their inmates, don’t get me wrong, because it could help them when they get out but since they are there for a short amount of time then the inmate won’t get the proper help they need anyway. The issue in mental health is supposedly a big issue around the country but a good chunk of states did not even show up to the national summit to talk about the mental health issues and ways to fix it. With turnout like that then not a lot will get accomplished around the country, all the states need to come together and think of how to fix the issue instead of let a few states do it and have the other states sit back and watch. Birdman789
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. It seems like that they don't give these inmates any type of proper treatment. It sad how these prisons have came to this conclusion. Why not treat these inmates when they have a serious illness. DaBulls456
DeleteMore people are mentally ill these days, and since it has become more of a problem; then we should focus on solving the problems instead of locking them away. Giving them the right treatment can help, but you can not get rid of a serious mental illness. Locking them away does not only make it worse for them, but for the people who are paying taxes as well.
Deletebamboo456
I actually think the jails should focus more on rehabilitating those individuals with mental illnesses. Even though they are there for a short time they will most likely commit another crime and come right back. This is most likely because they are receiving little to no treatment. The jails can use this short amount of time to rehabilitate these inmates to prevent them from coming back.
DeleteCountryGirl789
The issue with mental health in jails is the fact that more and more are going there instead of places they need to go to get help. If someone is suffering from a mental illness, then they need to be institutionalized not put into jail. Yes, the jails gave them treatments but these people need long term treatments, not short term. It takes a very long time for the human mind to unlearn or change the way it had been doing and thinking for a great amount of time. Not only are they overcrowding the jails they are also making the mental institutions shut down, you know the places where they actually should be. Instead of throwing them in jail, let them go to the mental institution, get help, then serve their time in some way. If this is such a huge issue around the world, why did a great amount of sates did not show up for the summit? If we are making such a huge deal about it, the states need to up their game and come up with some solutions. Not to just sit back and act like they care when they do not, because believe it or not a lot of people do care especially those no getting the right kind of help for their mental illness.
ReplyDeleteExtreme456
I agree with your ideas. Mentally ill people who commit crime is most of the time because of their illness. It needs treatment not punishment. That wont help anyone to just throw these individuals in jail, it will possibly make things worse. I like what you had to say about institutions shutting down. Why do we even have these facilities if we don't utilize them for their intended purpose? Twal456
DeleteThis article was a real eye opener. I never really thought about how inmates can suffer from a mental illnesses. It states where it says that one-fifth of inmates had a "serious mental illness." Is there more to that or is that what they think we should hear. If that is the case then these inmates should be getting more treatment then just a little of it or none at all. What do they do with these type of inmates hope that they will "break the illness". I also saw where those inmates are not to be alone for at least 23 hours in a cell. I don't think that will help because where is that other hour because those inmates will mostly likely crack in the end. It just comes to show that some mental ill inmates can crack at any minute and it could be a bad part on the their part because they didn't give them enough treatment. Overall this article was interesting. DaBulls456
ReplyDeleteThe mentally ill has become a serious problem now a day because it seems as more people are getting diagnose of having a mental problem. Everyone at least knows someone that has a mental problem, or they have one themselves. People who are mentally ill cannot think right and often it leads them into some trouble with the law. Some hear voices in their head that cannot go away and leads them into doing acts that normal people would not think of. Being locked up in a cell would only make it worse for them because they are not getting proper help. Being placed in solitary confinement can make anyone go out of their mind. Humans are social animals meaning that we need interaction with people in order to stay sane. Cut that interaction we then begin acting like wild animals. I have heard stories of people being locked up in solitary and whenever someone brings them food they begin to throw their feces at the person. We have the most people in prison than any major country, and a lot of the people in them are mentally ill. People who are mentally ill should be getting help instead of getting punished for actions they cannot control.
ReplyDeletebamboo456
Yes, mental illness has become an increasingly large problem. Which appears even larger when little to nothing is being done about it. Along with general reforms needed to be made to the criminal justice system I believe a thorough job needs to be done when deciding how to address providing adequate care for the mentally ill. From being able to give life changing medicine to group therapy and coping skills. Scooby789
DeleteAmerica is holds the lead, in how many people we incarcerate. America holds 2.2 million people, in jails and prisons. This obviously is costing tax payers, and states so much money. Our officials complain all the time about how many people we have in jails, and are looking for ways to cut costs. Often times these costs come at the price of the prisoners. For example they may get less showers, or even worse food, to save food and water costs. Yes, in prison they aren't going to get the best food, but when its to the point where its moldy and has bugs on it, thats a problem. This article is right. If we take the approach on focusing on mental health issues, we would be a lot better off. We wouldn't have as much prisoners and would be spending less money. The whole goal of jail is to rehabilitate the offender and prepare them again for society. Well when 1 in 5 people have an illness, it is going to affect how they are prepared for society, and they will have higher recidivism rates. It will be expensive to bring in the right programs etc, but it will be an investment for the future, to save money in the long run. I feel the main focus these days is that we just throw the people in , make them survive and thats it. Yes we have all these programs and what not, but sometimes I question how serious our officials are about mental health and rehabilitation, and not about the money. If we want to save money and have less people in jail, we need to do something, and something fast to help mental health issues.
ReplyDeleteMusic 456
With the amount of prisoners the United states holds, it is not possible for us to pay for all the programs prisoners may need. I don't think it's fair that prisoners are not given a real chance. I know they are in there because they did bad things, but let the rapist and murderers stay in prison and give probation to those for drug accounts, that way the ones who need help will get adequate help. Piglet456
DeleteJail is one of the worst places for people who already struggle with mental illnesses to go. Or for that matter, anyone at all really. The treatment for people who have gone to jail is practically non existent, and people generally cycle through. It isn't safe to be kept out of the community for that long. New inmates telling stories about the outside is different from actually living on the outside and it is a big adjustment for inmates when they finally get out. But where is their help when they get out. I really like the quote in this article "if we can't get someone stabilized, we need to get them to a hospital." I think that is the best thing to do in cases like this. Mentally ill inmates could hurt other inmates and guards and that is not okay, if they have the potential to hurt inmates they should not be in the jail, and they can't be stuck in solitary either because that will cause even more mental health issues. Piglet456
ReplyDeleteYou know there has to be a problem with the criminal justice system when they dispense more Mental Health treatment than facilities designed to treat mental health issues. Because of the deinstitutionalization movement that happened in the mid to late 1900's many of the mentally ill we're left to fend for themselves on the streets. A life on the streets turned to a life of crime very quickly and now many of these people find themselves in jail instead of receiving proper care. As a result of overcrowding and many of incoming prisoners suffering from some type of mental illness treatment is scarce. Those who suffer from more of a serious mental illness not having the proper medications can drastically change the conduciveness of a person in society. Many inmates do not receive their prescription drugs when they are not incarcerated this making them easily susceptible to being incarcerated again. Either the reopening of more mental health facilities needs to be taken into action or an increase in funding needs to be provided to the prisons in order to give adequate mental health care to their inmates. Scooby789
ReplyDeleteI 100% agree with the first sentence of your post!! I think that is one of the most important things to note about people with mental illnesses. How sad is it that there are more people being treated in jail, rather than some sort of mental health facility. In jail, they rarely get the adequate help they need anyway. I also agree with you about the medication being a huge problem when they are not in jail, because they will tend to self- medicate. Cards789
DeleteAfter reading this article and watching a couple of the videos we have in class about the mental health issues within jails, I cannot help but be irritated by the fact that more people are receiving treatment within jails or prisons than are actually receiving treatment in a facility. Considering the fact that once mentally ill people are within the jails or prisons, it is really hard to give them adequate help, I cannot understand how anyone would view this as the best thing to do. I am glad that people are finally seeing it as important to screen the individuals coming in and keep a closer eye on anyone who is potentially at risk for suicide, but more needs to be done to help these people. Often times, they are incarcerated because they are struggling on the outside, and resort to self-medicating with drugs on the street because they are cheaper than their medications. We need to get this under control and find a staff that is better equipped to deal with mental illnesses. Cards789
ReplyDeleteI'm almost thinking that all inmates heading into the penal system should undergo a type of screening test, not just the ones who are coming into the system for the first time. It's a false pretense for society to shut down mental health facilities and stop caring about those individuals like they never existed, until they get arrested. The terrible thing that yes, prison is a terrible place for anyone, but it's truly hard to express and relate that the mentally ill can only find solace and the help they need by committing crimes, because that is exactly what society has prescribed to them. It's a revolting revolving door that has goes in and out repeatedly. - StrongArm789
DeleteAs a tax payer I know this isn’t the only scam I am exposed to thanks to the great state of Illinois. I like to see some ‘policing’ of people who benefit from non-treatment of the incarcerated. “1/5th of jail inmates had a ‘serious mental illness.” Crazy. These industrial prison complexes are ginormous of course they are going to have more people than any U.S. hospital. This doesn’t seem too much of a stretch. The question is: Do the prisons make money for a ‘revolving door’ of inmates? Yes. They are taking our money to do it. Should these Penology institutions be held accountable for releasing ‘seriously dangerous’ individual into surrounding communities. I don’t see any legislation that would make this stick. What if they were held accountable for the health and wellbeing of all prisoners? First, they would be broke and closed within a months time . Private prisons no longer being profitable might become less corrupt in different hands. This is a pay me now or pay me later process. Provide mental illness treatment while warehoused or upon release. If not, without acting preventatively we will pay later. The $150.00 paragraph smells like an attempt for bail reform. I don’t think bail should be removed. Bail should still be viewed as a deterrent. If you are provided monies from your state to achieve bail you are being further incentivized to commit crime. My overall feeling after reading this article is that as Criminal Justice professionals we need to be familiar with mental health and substance abuse disorders. A large percentage of the people that we will have contact with suffer from one or both of these afflictions. If we don’t understand who are main ‘clients’ are we will not be as successful in our employment.
ReplyDeleteCreate a dialogue. Question. Be Political. Be Human. Doberman789
Mental illness is becoming a serious issue in prisons around the country. One fifth of inmates have a serious mental illness, and it is important to try to get these people help before they end up in our prison system. It is sad to know that an inmate died in an Illinois prison after being shocked with a stun gun. It’s comforting, however, that Kincaid is working to get inmates 24/7 access to therapists. Eliminating solitary is important too because I think anyone would go crazy spending 23 hours alone in a cell. I realize that jail/prison aren’t supposed to be fun, but it is important to remember that these are still people who are supposed to be getting prepared to reenter society as regular citizens. I think that it is important to not only be training corrections officers, but it is important to be training police officers to recognize these illnesses and attempt to help these people before they get in trouble.
ReplyDeleteBlues456
Your comment holds a lot of truth, it is crazy to process 1/5 of inmates have a serious mental illness. Prisons and jails don't have the resources that a mental hospital would. I do think it's good that a 24/7 therapist can be available wouldn't that be a service that the poorest of the poor in the US can get? Inmates are guaranteed the same services, however it must be a step lower than what the poorest person in the US can get. I do understand they are a special need inmate, in theory, it depends how you want to look at the situation. I do think a 24/7 in theory looks good, however I don't think that is the solution. Don't forget there are members outside of prison and jails who suffer and don't have the luxury of a 24/7 therapist
DeletePalmdaddy789
Mental illness is a serious epidemic around the world, but it's very difficult I think to deal with sometimes. It's hard to understand a mental illness when you don't suffer from one. But I think that this "stepping up" program is a really good start for the criminal justice system. I think it's very important to eliminate solitary because anyone is going to go mad sitting in a room all day, but someone with a mental illness problem, that is only going to mask the problem not help it. It's good that these officers are getting mental health training as well, only 23% have the training right now but it's also very new, I think it needs to be brought up in more departments and made available. They need to be able to recognize these situations and symptoms so we don't have more fatalities across the country. -dicaprio789
ReplyDeleteWhen mental hospitals get cut from state funding the jails have to come and handle the issues that people have no control of. In regards to special needs inmates and the needs that must be met in keeping their mental status controlled is medication and a well trained staff. In this case the Step Up program is a step in the right direction. However many of the police officers aren't trained, there are some who are and have been able to intervene early because jail isn't always the answer. As well as solitary confinement, thinking about how people have been treated in the past because of a lack of knowledge is sad. Though change is around the corner it'll take time and officers who are familiar with the signs and understand not everyone they run into is a bad person even if it may seem like they are.
ReplyDeletePalmdaddy789
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ReplyDeleteIn this article it states: "The organization said there were more mentally ill people in the Los Angeles County Jail, Chicago’s Cook County Jail, or New York’s Rikers Island jail complex than in any U.S. psychiatric hospital." This is absurd, we should not be punishing people for having mental illnesses. These are things that people live with everyday and cannot control. It also said at least one fifth of jail inmates have a serious mental illness. This just further proves that the police departments and society has no idea what to do with these people. In Chicago, six of the twelve psychiatric hospitals were closed. This caused those who were receiving treatment in those to be released into everyday society with no one to take care of them and no medication. Some times they turn to a life of crime because they don't know what to do. Some even commit crimes on purpose knowing they will land in jail so they can get their medication and have a place to live. if these psychiatric hospitals keep being closed, then we will almost certainly see the crime rate increase. Police officers also need to be trained in how to deal with these people and have them get proper help and medical attention to protect them from themselves abd to protect others.
ReplyDeleteCountryGirl789
The fact that there are more mentally ill people consuming jails in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York than any psychiatric hospital in the U.S. really surprised me. I do see the need for jails in our country, however, I think the justice system needs to be better on how they sentence individuals, especially ones with mental illness. The article talked about cutting down on solitary confinement. I totally agree with this idea! If you have a person who is already struggling with a mental illness, put them in jail and then take them away from the already segregated jail population, your going to feed the mental illness in a very negative way. Pure isolation can be absolutely terrifying and horrible for your health. I see how it can be used as a form of punishment in a jail setting but it shouldn't be used casually. It should never be used on mentally ill inmates in fact, they should be able to talk and socialize in groups to better their condition. The article also talked about the large amount of tax payer money going into the jail system to fund these individuals. We all know our corrections system is majorly over crowded. If we could focus and determine what individuals have mental health issues and place them in hospitals or institutions, we would save money and they would receive the care they need. Twal456
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