Ethics Theory

This paper explores the topic of mental health within prisons and how it affects the inmates. The report of my findings were through research of twelve articles, two credible website sources, and a published textbook.

People who suddenly find themselves sentenced to prison usually face a great deal of fear and uncertainty. These feelings stem from the differences that an inmate experiences versus how a “civilian” experiences life on the outside of prison. Accepted societal norms put aside for the codes and norms of prison inmates.

After reading the book I have gained a new understanding of what inmates think about in prison. Working in an institution, I have a certain cynical attitude at times with inmates and their requests.

One of the most controversial issues regarding the mentally ill and the prison system is the medical treatment received. According to the film, “16% of the prison population in the state of Ohio, which reflects a national average, are persons who have been diagnosed with mental illness.” Prisons began as an institution designed to rehabilitate, however, a vast majority of prisons throughout the country do not provide adequate medical care for their mentally ill inmates. However, the prisons that do possess adequate health care are most likely the first instance in which the inmates with mental illness have received any sort of treatment in their entire life. People with chronic mental illness need constant supervision which they cannot get outside of prison. Although inmates does not receive the most extensive treatment, the treatment they do receive is well beyond the treatment they would have received had they stayed out of the criminal justice system.

According to the prisons inspectorate, the ‘health’ of a prison should be measured according to safety, respect, purposeful activity and resettlement (HMCIP, 2013). Choose one of these factors, and using academic research to support your argument, discuss to what extent this represents a critical element of imprisonment in contemporary society.

The United State’s prison system was initially designed to punish and rehabilitate individuals whom were convicted of a felony or other serious offense. Inmates are sentenced for a certain amount of time, or the entirety of their life based on how serious of a crime that person has committed. The Idea of imprisoning a person as a form of punishment dates back to medieval times however, it wasn’t until right before the American Revolution humane prisons started appearing in this country. Today, prisons are more populated than they have ever been and are functioning not only as a place to reform people’s morals, but also as a highly profitable investment for the wealthy to exploit. The Prison system is so devoted to making

Mental Illness in our prison systems is often times overlooked and maybe even misunderstood. Is it because our prison systems are so overcrowded that the resources and medical staff needed do not want to deal with the mental issues prisoners suffer? Maybe it is because society would rather ignore, or “sweep under the rug”, inmates with mental health issues because they have committed a crime. Do they not deserve the same care and attention as other mental health patients? Perhaps, one of the reasons statistics are so high for repeat offenders is because of untreated/undetected mental health issues. In the following pages,

According to Henry J. Steadman in his article titled Prevalence of Serious Mental Illness Among Jail Inmates and sponsored by Psychiatric Services, “⅔ of convicts met criteria for a lifetime psychiatric disorder, anxiety disorder, and antisocial personality disorder.” Theodore M. Hammett, Mary Patricia Harmon, and William Rhodes also stated in the article The Burden of Infectious Disease Among Inmates of and Releases From United States Correctional Facilities sponsored by American Journal of Public Health, that “Political leaders and the public have not recognized the importance of correctional settings for health interventions.” With this information at hand, government should take action into

Given the number of incarcerated inmates who suffer from some form of mental illness, there are growing concerns and questions in the medical field about treatment of the mentally ill in the prison system. When a person with a mental illness commits a crime or break the law, they are immediately taken to jail or sent off to prison instead of being evaluated and placed in a hospital or other mental health facility. Prison’s main focus tends to be punishment for the crime committed. This makes the actual treatment needed for the mentally ill secondary. Mentally ill prisoners may just appear to be difficult inmates on the surface, but it depends on the degree of outward actions they display. For instance, an inmate suffering from paranoia inmate

The vast majority of prisoners who suffer from severe mental illness are not receiving the proper mental health treatment necessary. The lack of attention allocated to the sanity of prisoners with mental illness is a haunting reality given that these people eventually return to the free world following their time in prison. Due to the punitive tendencies of the prison system, prison will likely only exacerbate people's preexisting mental illnesses, making them susceptible to recidivism, or further engaging in criminal behavior. This paper will examine the links between the prison system’s mentality to punish rather than rehabilitate its prisoners and therefore the lack of mental health care or rehabilitation the prisons provide for inmates

What is prison? To the public, prison is a place for only the most truly evil people in the country. However, contrary to popular belief, some prisons in the U.S. are not as nearly as bad as some of the others. In other words, not all prisons are created equally. The conditions of some American prisons are horrendous. Two grown averaged sized men are being crammed into a six by eight foot concrete cage (“Minncor Industries”). Keep in mind, that dimension includes the bed frames, toilet, sink, and sometimes a desk as well. When the prisoner has to use the bathroom, he is exposed in front of his cellmate and anyone who is in the hallway. Many would describe these conditions as unacceptable and cruel, when others would call them necessary. While these conditions certainly are not the most private or the most

The population of inmates incarcerated in the United States is far higher than any country that incarcerates inmates throughout the world, the United States incarcerates inmates juveniles, women and men for crimes that are both non violent as well as violent crimes, by incarcerating these inmates and placing them under the

Prison is not meant to be a comfortable place. Prison, historically, is meant to be a punishment for crimes committed against society. Once an individual is convicted and sentenced, they are then taken into custody of the state or federal government. The term custody refers to an individual taken to a detention facility. This term also refers to the concept that the government is now responsible for the wellbeing of the inmate. The individual is being punished, but the government must take reasonable steps to protect those in their custody until they are released back into society. It is vitally important for the safety of these individuals that administrators become aware of the factors that may put certain inmates at a higher

The interesting subjects of ethics in Chapter 1 and in Chapter 3; furthermore, the most interesting sections of ethics that involve human behavior, legality, and work environment. For example, Chapter l’s most interesting subjects include the ethics of human nature, the unethical behavior in the work environment, and the reasons for moral people’s unethical behavior. Then, Chapter 3’s most interesting subjects include the legal aspects associated with ethics, the ethics behind job candidates, and the ethical tests for these job candidates. All in all, the essay will focus on each chapters subject of interests and the sections supporting the key interests. In Chapter 1, the first interesting subject is about the influence of human nature and its’ affect on ethics in society.

With the highest prison population in the world, the United States utilizes both public and private prison systems to house its prisoners. The privatization of prisons has caused significant controversy regarding the quality of these private prisons compared with that of public prisons. Because private prisons are run by for-profit corporations rather than a government department such as the Federal Bureau of Prisons, some believe that these prisons have no incentive to rehabilitate prisoners and cannot be held to the same regulations and standards. However, there is also evidence that a private prison system bolsters the economy by creating tax revenue and jobs and reduces costs. With the privatization of prisons becoming an increasingly relevant issue in politics, it is crucial that citizens are informed of why private prisons exist and the pros and cons of both systems.