Mental Illness In Correctional Facilities

Most of my nursing career has been in clinics that serve patients who rely on government assisted programs and who have limited funding and resources. The last four years I have been dedicated to serving patients within the correctional settings. While this field of nursing can be very challenging at times it is also very rewarding knowing that I am a patient advocate for individuals who often get over looked do to some of their choices and their current situations. I am very passionate about providing healthcare and education to patients who are often times misunderstood due to learning differences. I have a very strong belief that our mental health is affecting the correctional population. Many patients are placed in correctional settings because they cannot conform to society or because they are unable to express and understand the reason they make some of the poor choices which lead them into a life behind

The documentary “The released” shared a very important and serious social issue, which is mental illness of prisoners. The film described the inside of the Ohio prison system as it resisted to provide care for prisoners that have mental health problems. The system there allowed prisoners to leave the jail and either go to a shelter or a residential treatment center, to get the health care they need. After the release, prisoners need to take their medications and keep track with a psychiatrist or a mental health care center. However, most of the prisoners didn’t do what is required, most of them didn’t keep up with their medications and end up by going back to jail. The reason of the release was to give them chance to recover by taking medications

The issue chosen by the researchers, is a relevant issue facing the criminal justice system. The predominance of mental health problems among incarcerated persons in both prisons and jails present major problems for each component of the criminal justice system; law enforcement, courts, and corrections. The entire criminal justice system is negatively impacted and overburdened by untreated mental illness. According to Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than half of all prison and jail inmates have a mental health problem (James & Glaze, 2006).

In a case study at a California Correction facility, a select group of young offenders that ranged from the ages of ten and eighteen, that were selected for a referral for mental health services that were incarcerated between a certain time were eligible for this study, the group was dwindled down from an alarming rate of 3200 that were detained annually down to a group of just 206. These offender had to agree to be part of this study as well as seek permission from their parents as well as the judges that had sentenced them. The fact that the referrals must come from either their parents request or the request of the court. This is just a crazy thing for me to wrap my head around.

In America today, there have been millions of people incarcerated by the carceral system. Many of these people have been incarcerated for being mentally ill and unstable. Prisons began serving as wards for those who were showing signs of mental problems, instead of an actual place for criminals. Over the years, those who were mentally ill have been placed into these prisons, and their mental state only continues to grow worse as they spend more and more time there. Instead of throwing these individuals in prisons, we should learn to implement programs that are dedicated to helping the mentally ill who need assistance once they begin to show signs of mental illness, so that their condition does not get worse.

Prisons are home to 33,000 mentally ill patients in California, alone. Filling 30 percent of California’s overall prison population, the prisons are becoming unconstitutionally crowded (Source C). In a Federal District Court ruling in Sacramento, “Judge Lawrence Karlton noted that the treatment of the seriously mentally ill continues to violate prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment” (Source C). Poor staffing is not fully to blame for inadequate care, insufficient treatment space, and suicide rates. When President Kennedy began the community mental health centers movement, he deprived the mentally ill of shelter which forced patients to live in the streets (Source A).

Finally, looking at the safety of the mentally ill inmates is crucial especially when solitary confinement is involved. It has been suggested that even inmates without mental health issues can experience psychological breakdowns when they are isolated for long periods of time. Revising protocols and procedures of solitary confinement could lessen or prevent the amount of critical incidents that are seen due to the isolation of an inmate.

A few solutions for the rising mentally ill inmates in prison is to : keep a working public mental health treatment system so that those that are mentally ill do not end up in prison or jail. Redo the mental illness treatment laws and practices in communities that will help eliminate obstacles to treatment for those people that are too ill to recognize they in face need help. This will help these individuals before they are so out of the normal that they commit acts that result in their arrest. Reform jail and prison treatment laws so inmates with mental illness can receive appropriate and necessary treatment just as inmates with medical conditions receive appropriate and necessary medical treatment. Implement and promote jail diversion programs

Prisons have become asylums. There are ten times as many prisoners receiving help than there are patients in psychiatrist. It has become a simpler or only way for some to obtain help; to self-medicate and land in prison. Getting help in communities around the nation is becoming difficult Therefore, a large portion of inmates are being left untreated and have found their ways onto the prison system. Because Prisons are unequipped many are left with no psychiatry help or with only medication to hand out. Prison officials are mostly untrained for these individuals and treat them alike others unknowingly inflicting more damage to the individuals, others try their best to provide treatment but understand that the prison cycle is difficult to get

My proposition to decrease some of the prevalence and our facility’s recidivism is to promote mental health and education on mental illness and continuity of care. I believe mental health promotion will increase our population’s awareness of signs and symptoms to reach out for help when needed and by receiving continuity of care, this population won’t suffer as much when released. Promoting wellness can reduce illness (Cloninger, Zohar, & Cloninger, 2010). Psychiatric care to promote well-being reduces the stigma and increases recovery of mental health. Therefore, mental health care appears to be more effective than mental illness care (Cloninger, Zohar, & Cloninger, 2010) Mental Health Promotion when patients arrive at the jail and

Presenting one example of many, Washington reveals that there does exist treatment programs; however, it does not resolve the conflict that there is only a limited access to behavioral health services (Steadman). The Department of Corrections in Washington claims that the state of Washington requires Chemical Dependency Treatment Programs with licensed and/or certified staff members. With this program, convicts receive on site, essential health care services that include dental, medical and mental health care. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the jail provides essential medical, dental, mental health and psychiatric services care. But, further down the line in the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ article, it mentions that the essential health care only lies within lines of the community standards for a

Many cultures have viewed mental illness as a form of religious punishment or demonic possession. In Ancient Greek and Roman writings mental illness was categorized as a religious or personal problem. Individuals who are mentally ill are once again being mistreated by society and being place in prison. Prison is not a place for people for are mentally ill, jails were created as a form of criminal punishment for offenders and not a home for people who are mentally ill. In many cases, the welfare of offenders are not acknowledged because their is a misconception that all people with mental disabilities are a danger to the public. People become a greater threat to themselves that others when they are not receiving the appropriate care. Providing

MENTALL ILLNESS A mental disorder, also known as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a diagnosis by a mental health professional of a behavioral or mental pattern that may cause suffering or a poor ability to function in life. Mental disorder consists of a wide range of things that affect mood thinking and behavior. Some of the more common forms of mental illness are major depression, anxiety disorder. Two of the more severe forms are bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

We are always hearing about how veterans need mental and physical treatment when they come home from tours of duty. This is true. However, they are not the only ones. Prison inmates should also have those same privileges. Nothing in the world could justify some of the cries that inmates may or may not have committed, but in reality things like insanity and schizophrenia are true illness that can’t be controlled on their own. With the assistance of therapist and psychologists, these inmates can find value in their lives. If suicide is the largest cause of death within the prison systems, the finding meaning in their lives is all these inmates want. Not only are mental illnesses are within the minds of inmates but also addictions. If these inmates with drug or alcohol addictions can be cleansed of the addiction, then why should we stop them? Withdrawals from a substance can literally kill those who suffer from them.

As a whole, literature on the topic of mental illness in our country and specifically in our criminal justice system had a reoccurring theme. There are millions of individuals who suffer from mental illness but are improperly being handled through the criminal justice system. These individuals are deemed criminal just by their acts and their mental health state is not overly examine. Jails and prisons are being overcrowded. State prisons and jails are overpopulated anywhere from 15 to 32% (Spending Money in All the Wrong Places: Jails & Prisons).