Briefing. . In Chicago, 35 To 40 Percent Of Children Are

As incarceration rates rise, health-related outcomes do as well. From 1970 to 2014, the U.S. prison population has risen 700% (Vera Institute of Justice) and by 2001, one in three Black men are sent to prison during their lifetime (Bonczar 5). Before disregarding prison health, it is important to first consider the implications on all of society. If we took better care of our prisoners, the entire U.S. population would be healthier. According to epidemiological studies conducted by the Population Studies Center, if the rate of U.S. incarceration in 1973 remained the same, there would be a 7.8% reduction in infant mortality by 2003 (Wildeman 2). 50% of all prisoners suffer from diagnosable mental illnesses (James and Glaze 1). Some of the most

Mental health services and mental health awareness will ensure that our youth are not only physically healthy but mentally as well. Although it is not always the youth who commit these violent acts involving guns, I believe that reaching the youth is the best way for prevention. Robert Ross said it best: “Early detection and treatment is the key. We need to reach troubled children when problems first emerge, while there’s still time to guide them back on the right track” (Ross, 2015, p. 507). According to the United States Government, one out of every four or five adolescents meets the specification for a mental disorder. However, Mental health not only refers to the lack of a mental disorder or disease, but also to well-being emotionally, socially, and psychologically. Children who are mentally healthy are able to adapt to their changing environment, develop healthy relationships, use coping techniques, and more (U.S Government, n.d.). It is important to understand what mental health is and means so that society may better recognize an individual that does not quite meet those metal health standards; this will better aid us in violence prevention.

It is estimated that one in every five youth experience mental illnesses that interfere with their everyday routines (“NAMI”). Mental health in the United States is a growing epidemic that needs to be solved. Youth with mental illnesses may never know that they have one; screenings for mental health are not something a lot of people take advantage of. Schools are a place where youth develop the most. In order for this to happen, society needs to make schools feel welcoming and provide support for those who need help. While some people do not believe mental illnesses exist, schools should require mental health screenings in order to prevent future violent situations, educate their staff, and do more to make students feel comfortable.

Acts of violence are no stranger to the Greater Chicago Area. In 2016 alone, Chicago had suffered 786 homicides (“Crime in Chicagoland,” n.d.). Although this number is large, especially when compared to other major cities in the United States, it fails to depict the countless family members, friends, and communities who carry the burden of these senseless killings. BUILD (Broader Urban Involvement & Leadership Development), an anti-violence organization serving Chicago neighborhoods since 1969, engages at-risk children in productive activities within their community in order to keep them out of trouble from the streets of Chicago. BUILD recognizes the debilitating impact that a violent environment has on a child and provides the means to help

The piece of this health reform act related to mental health stipulates that there be state laws mandating or regulating mental health benefits ("NCSL," 2012). This author has found no literature that indicates the effectiveness of the PPACA. Perhaps it is too early to determine the success or failure of the PPACA.

It can create change and provide innovation. "Even more important than the amount of conflict is how it is managed" (Bolman & Deal, 2013, pg. 201). One major issue in the case study that created conflict was the defeat of the reform plan to create a comprehensive plan to unite all the state agencies handling child welfare and maintain efficient services across the state. Gary Strangler, the director of the DSS was the proponent of the reform plan, but the department of mental health adamantly opposed the bill. Keith Schafer, the DMH directory, supported it, but did not attempt to obtain the support of his employees. The issues stemmed from mental health employees fear of being overshadowed by social services. There was also a belief that the opponent of the bill both within DMH and in the health care profession in the community used the legislature to deny the bill. Additionally, other citizens and local non-profits feared any government interaction that would create a more standardized approach to the problem. The overall issue stemmed derived from a focus on changing the structure and not on changing what the goals and focus was of the

1 in 10 children, aged 5 - 16 suffer from a clinically diagnosed mental health disorder, equivalent to three children in every class (Green et al, 2005). This does not include the 1 in 7 children that suffer from less severe mental health problems (Department for Education, 2015). Any mental health issue can lead a young person to lose control over their body and mind. This can lead to abnormal behaviour, criminal actions and uncontrollable urges to harm others (Sue et al, 2015). 95% of imprisoned young offenders have a mental health disorder and many of them are struggling with more than one disorder (Office for National Statistics,

There has been a decade-long spike in the awareness of mental illness and suicide ideation among teenagers and young adults. Accordingly, researchers have determined, based on the results of numerous studies and trials, that there exists the possibility of dramatically reducing mental illness, suicides and suicidal behavior, thereby raising the potential of promoting overall wellness among young people. Many political leaders and mental health professionals, encouraged by the results of the studies, have asked school administrators and community leaders to enact awareness and prevention programs in their jurisdictions, while requesting that program leaders take responsibility for program results (e.g., No Child Left Behind, 2002).

Mental health courts change the criminal justice system. In addition to probation, jail, prison, and other forms of rehabilitation, a mental health court introduces a new option as “punishment”. Psychiatric treatment. But mental health courts also change the system in other ways, by criminalizing non-criminal behaviours. But the mental health courts that exist so far, with very few exceptions, accept only people charged with nonviolent low-level offenses. While these courts help some people get services, they do nothing to help the mentally ill facing prison or lengthy jail sentences, and they do not reduce the criminalization of mental illness. If mental health courts increase the punishment of minor offenses, as some undoubtedly do, their

The Greater Roseland Coalition (GRC) is a product of an anti-violence movement that grew out of the need to address the surge in gun violence on the South Side of Chicago. The Coalition is a result of a merger between Community Assistance Programs (CAPs), Roseland Ceasefire (RFC) & Lights of Zion Training Institute (LOZTI). Since its inception in 2010 combined, the Greater Roseland Coalition (GRC) have served well over 5000 clients through our Violence Prevention Programs to provide critical outreach, intervention and interruption services to reduce gun violence through our comprehensive programming that include: Neighborhood Recovery Initiative (NRI), the Illinois Criminal Justice Authority, Access to Recovery Program, (ATR), Illinois Violence Prevention Authority, and the Illinois Department of Corrections, programs to provide mentoring and reduced to recidivism Our target population includes court involved youth, with letters of cooperation, other at-risk youth, as well as Chicagoans who are at high risk to be perpetrators or victims of gun violence in the Greater Roseland Community, however, we do

Between 2013 and 2016 records show that there were at least 160 if not more shootings across only 38 states. Many people do not think they need help, but they actually do and when services are offered to those children in need, some parents are still reluctant to have their child take them. School districts in South Florida require children as young as kindergartners to fill out a short questionnaire to help evaluate their mental status while in other schools like in Minnesota student answer questions about drug use and depression. However, the number of students being screened for mental health problems has dropped significantly over the past few years. In Olympia, 21,000 students were screened for substance abuse and mental health screening, but that number dropped to about 7500 in 2012 due to lack of funding and parents not wanting their children screened. The main reason why parents don’t want their child evaluated is because they fear that their child will be over evaluated and put on medication that has harmful side effects. Other reasons also include societal factors, in some areas and culture being diagnosed with a mental health illness is considered to be a bad thing. Even in school some kids with these illnesses are considered “retarded” and called other very insulting names, being bullied in school only worsens these adolescents mental conditions even more and end up going into depression or even worse, they end up committing

Mental illnesses are very common in the United States, with one in five of adolescents having a diagnosed mental illness and in the last year less than half of these adolescents have received proper treatment. The most common mental disorders, anxiety and depression, can disrupt daily life and result in suicide, which is the third most frequent cause of death in teenagers (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). Ten percent of adolescents did not have health insurance in 2013 and those who did, had a very limited amount of mental health care services provided to them (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). It has been proved that it is even less likely that adolescents who are poor, homeless, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender will receive the care that is necessary for their health and even life (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). Mental disorders are not only an

Though there are many treatments that are effective in helping children live and thrive with these issues, they are not always available to them. Unfortunately, children and teens throughout the United States are having difficulties accessing mental health care services. According to a survey conducted by University of Michigan, 30% of survey participants reported having lots of availability for children’s health care (Masson, 2013). Having poor access to such services can leave a negative impact on a child’s health and they can potentially carry these issues with them into their futures when left untreated. The topic of mental health is especially impactful for children on welfare as they are at a high risk for developing a mental illness since many children have experienced traumatic situations such as abuse or neglect (Levitt, 2009). Even though CHIP covers mental health services, the barrier to accessing these services still exists.

While we no longer lock people up just for the “crime” of mental health issues, there are still some conditions, like pedophilia, for which there is little compassion, understanding, and a willingness to find viable treatment options. The biggest problem with that attitude toward pedophilia is that children are still being victimized.

The mental health of adolescents is fairly considered to be one of the major prerequisites of the country 's sustainable development in economics, culture, and social life. Subsequently, the easy and nondiscriminatory access to the psychological treatment appears to be a matter of top priority for the federal government. Nevertheless, the recent statistical data indicates the substantial problems in terms of providing the adolescents with the necessary medical support. In accordance with the US Department of Health & Human Services, in 2014, less than 50% of the country 's adolescent population were provided with a required treatment (US Department of Health & Human Services). Moreover, the data on the minorities ' access to the mental health treatment demonstrates that, for instance, African-Americans are twice as likely as whites to be prescribed a treatment from schizophrenia (American Psychological Association). Undoubtedly, such a trend may be primarily explained by the insufficient efforts of both federal and local health care institutions in terms of providing the minorities ' representatives with the necessary psychological treatment. Consequently, in order to understand comprehensively the problem of the adolescent mental health in the US, it is necessary to define the issue-related objective and subjective concerns as well as to analyze the peculiarities of a potential corrective to the