The Criminal Responsibility Of The Mentally Ill

Everyday correctional officials work to deal with mental health inmates. Often hotly debated, many search for ways to work with this growing population. Glaze and Bonczar (2009) estimate around 2.3 million people are incarcerated within the US and of those, 20 percent suffer from some form of mental disorder. Even with such a high number, the rate of mental illnesses within the prison system is on the climb. Many of these inmates will remain incarcerated and receive little to no treatment for their mental issues. This essay, will look at the practices associated when dealing with mental illness and discuss the strategies on dealing with this growing issue.

My chosen reflection piece is on ageism, see appendix one. I will provide evidence reflecting the links between diabetes and depression, which will form my chosen seminar topic, see appendix two. I will then critically analyze the mental capacity Act (2005) and relate it to my specific scenario, see appendix three. I will explore how nurses the Act within nursing practice, decision- making, and how we access a person’s capacity to make specific decisions. I will explore any ethical issues that may arise following the principles of Mental Capacity Act (2005).

The recent increase in emergency 9-1-1 calls involving mentally ill persons has heightened the awareness of the Criminal Justice System. Across the nation, law enforcement encounters with mentally ill persons have become more frequent, and the use of deadly force against mentally ill persons has increased. Since the deinstitutionalization of the mental health system, law enforcement officials have been tasked with controlling deviant and sometimes criminal behavior of persons who suffer from mental illness. As a result, law enforcement agencies have implemented crisis intervention training (CIT) and diversion tactics due to the numerous challenges faced when serving the mentally ill. Major deficiencies in the mental health system and State legislations have hindered progressive efforts towards assisting mentally ill persons. With the dramatic consequences associated with untreated mental illness, it is certain that law enforcement officers will experience an encounter requiring knowledge, specialized training, and the ability to build collaborative partnerships.

Around the 1970’s and 1980’s around the United States many mental hospitals were shut down. There were many reasons why they closed these Asylums was because money, and knowing that there was only about twenty county asylums were built around the country. The asylums also known as the Looney bin was established in Britain after passing in 1808 county asylum act. There were so many patients in these asylums around the world in 1955 about 558,239 severely mentally ill people in the United States were accounted for. Now in these times any mentally ill people don’t get help they just go straight to jail without proper diagnosis or treatment. People need to know these people need extreme care and treatment. Even regular people or considered the norm in today’s society eventually go crazy when they’re in prison too long. We have as much people that are mentally ill as regularly incarcerated. There is one prison in Houston Texas that does take care there mentally ill. We have about 2.2 million

From police interaction of the mentally ill, Crisis Intervention Training has been born with the focus on police officers being able to identify individuals who may be suffering from various type of mental illness. In addition to being able to identify if a person is suffering from a mental disorder, the training also teaches officers the skills to communicate with them in hopes to de-escalate the tense situation peacefully (Russell, 2012).

According to the Mental Health America website (2012), ECT is making a comeback. They assert with “the increase in the elderly population and Medicare, and the push by insurance companies to provide fast, “medical” treatment rather than talk therapy” (para. 6) has created yet another potentially dangerous field to navigate. Is it appropriate to treat these elderly patients with ECT when they have pre-existing medical conditions, specifically cardiac conditions where an electric shock could be fatal? Who is the advocate for the elderly widow without family to speak for her should she become so incapacitated by mental illness this becomes a viable option? This patient is vulnerable

This essay will discuss issues that nurses have to consider when caring for a person that either lacks or have compromised capacity. At the same time, the author will explain important terminology in the essay such as the meaning of consent, capacity, best interest, Deprivation of liberty, advanced decisions, risk assessment, including several examples from experience during placement

The general public does not usually go around contemplating the trials of the mentally ill. Especially not the mentally ill that have a habit of going in and out of prison. “The Released,” however, is trying to change that. Focusing on the lives of convicts under the persuasion of mental illness, “The Released” is a current documentary that intends to display an intimate look at the lives of these men with a proposition that they need help. Help that they cannot give themselves. Help that is not easy accessible. This claim is presented and reinforced by appealing to the audience’s emotion and logic with the use of strategic camera shots, education or experience-backed testimonials, and the pattern of a vicious cycle.

The article Mentally Ill Inmates Prone to Violence After Release: Study by Robert Preidt on September 3rd 2015 in Healthday discusses how prisoners with mental and substance-use disorders are more likely to commit violent crimes after their release than other inmates. Researchers did a study of ex-convicts in Sweden to get their results. 42 percent of men and 60 percent of women were diagnosed with at least one mental disorder prior to release. Researchers have found that the more co-existing psychiatric disorders the ex-inmates had, the greater risk of committing violent crimes. One in seven prisoners has a psychotic illness or major depression. In an average of three years, one quarter of men and 11 percent of women were convicted of

Families are often the main support system for people affected by mental illness. If a

Since the Grassian (1983) publication, a number of investigators have claimed that inmates experienced a myriad of mental health concerns and symptoms, including appetite and sleep disturbance; anxiety, including panic; depression and hopelessness; irritability; anger and rage; lethargy; psychosis and cognitive rumination; social withdrawal; cognitive impairment; and suicidal ideation and self-injurious behaviors (see Andersen et al., 2000; Beven, 2005; Bonner, 2006; Brodsky & Scogin, 1988; Cloyes, Lovell, Allen, & Rhodes, 2006; F. Cohen, 2006, 2008, 2012; Glaze & Herberman, 2013; Grassian, 2006a, 2006b; Haney, 1993, 2003, 2009; Hayes & Rowan, 1988; Hresko, 2006; Kupers, 2008; Lovell, 2008; Metzner & Fellner, 2010; Miller & Young, 1997; P. S. Smith, 2008; Stephan, 2008). Offenders with mental illness are considered particularly vulnerable when placed in AS (Metzner & Fellner, 2010), as they may experience more mental health disturbance (i.e., greater symptomatology) than offenders with mental illness not placed in AS (O’Keefe, 2007; for a differing view, see Grassian & Friedman, 1986).

This approach will help to decrease overpopulation in the prison system, incarceration of mentally ill and prevent reoffending rates of those suffering from mental illness.

This assignment will examine if individuals with mental health issues are treated fairly by the Criminal Justice System, taking into account the provisions of the Mental Health Act, the roles of professionals within it and the development of how people with mental health disorders are, and have historically been, viewed in society.

In the current society, the correctional system serves more roles than just segregating criminals from the society. The correctional system provides education and training for various trades for its inmates to help their reintegration into society. Unfortunately, mentally disabled prisoners are facing multiple difficulties in reintegrating into the society following their release. Inadequate disciplinary actions and exploitative nature of the prisoners worsen their symptoms. Due to its lack of the suitable environment for mentally disabled prisoners, they also may develop other mental issues as well as ones they previously suffered. Their worsened mental disabilities and difficulties getting employment position, medications, and psychiatric care leads to re-offence and hardship in reintegration. Therefore, current prison systems lack proper treatment, care, and pose an inadequate environment for prisoners with mental disabilities. This leads prisoners to suffer multiple hardships while getting reintegrated into society following release.

Humans are obedient and disobedient at the same time. Nonetheless, we like to do things our way. If we feel challenged, we think that there is always a way to get past that. We like to think of ourselves as great and that we do not make mistakes. Once we do make a mistake or do something wrong, we point fingers. This is another reason why we blame the mentally ill for mass casualties.