Transformative Justice Initiative: Personal Narrative Analysis

Authors in this article from the University of California observe and focus on the risks and rates involved in people that have a mental disorder and correlate it with incarceration as well as people with re-incarceration. While performing these studies researchers found an alarming number of people incarcerated had a severe mental illness and substance abuse issues. Much of the knowledge in numbers of people with a mental illness are brought from a correctional view, but researchers here try to also focus on numbers of people in the public mental health system as well.

The United States criminal justice system has been continuously increasing incarceration among individuals who suffer from a sever mental illness. As of 2007 individuals with severe mental illness were over twice as likely to be found in prisons than in society (National Commission of Correctional Health Care, 2002, as cited in Litschge &Vaughn, 2009). The offenses that lead to their commitment in a criminal facility, in the majority of cases, derive from symptoms of their mental illness instead of deviant behavior. Our criminal justice system is failing those who would benefit more from the care of a psychiatric rehabilitation facility or psychiatric hospital by placing them in correctional facilities or prisons.

As proclaimed by The National Coalition for the Homeless, “Serious mental illnesses disrupt people’s ability to carry out essential aspects of daily life, such as self-care and household management.” Those suffering from mental illnesses are prevented from properly carrying out the intrinsic skills of livelihood. A mental illness may prevent one from possessing the ability to get a job, eat, earning wherewithal, and perform the multitudinous imperative skills entailed for survival. The preventions of mental illness undeniably can cause one to become

I replied. “For a nice trip down yonder, so you can see how one bad mistake could change your whole life forever”, he answered. Not having an idea what he meant, I sat along for the ride. This day was a day I knew I would never forget.

The difference should not affect the quality and success of the program, as the target population for PATH is 18 and older. Each of the EBPs reviewed were developed for individuals with mental illness and/or substance abuse to be utilized during reintegration into a more independent living environment. The Critical Time Intervention (CTI) aims to prevent recurrent homelessness in individuals with severe mental illness leaving shelters, hospitals, or other organizations aiding the homeless (Critical time intervention - top tier, (2013). Not all of these approaches have been tested on the targeted homeless demographic. The Modified Therapeutic Communities (MTCs) focus on offenders with mental illness and chemical abuse (MICA) disorders (Modified Therapeutic Community for Offenders with Mental Illness and Chemical Abuse Disorders (MICA). However, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (2012) classify offenders and incarcerated adults as at risk of homelessness. Therefore, these strategies should still produce a similar positive outcome for the targeted homeless population. Research has indicated that community integration and recovery from mental illness and substance

A common misconception that many people have about the United States prison system is that it acts as a sanctuary for rehabilitation, and it is this misconception that allows people to believe that mentally ill prisoners who are sent to prison will receive the treatment that they need. Not only does life in prison provide added stress and anxiety to the already burdensome life of living with a mental illness, but with so many inmates in such close quarters, said mentally ill patients often get harassed and are unlikely to get the amount of attention from doctors and specialists that they truly need. With such stated lack of necessary attention and treatment, mentally ill prisoners often develop more severe symptoms than those that they entered with. Therefore, the time, energy, and resources that funnel into caring for the 1.3 million inmates with mental illness who are currently in the United States prison system should be shifted to focus on medication and or rehabilitation in an appropriate

Mental illness in America has become an increasingly popular topic of discussion. Rather than being placed in hospitals for treatment, mentally ill individuals are being placed into correctional facilities for their actions. Persons with serious mental illness (SMI) such as bi-polar disorder, severe depression, schizophrenia and etc. have trouble within society. Many lack income and stable living arrangements to be able to succeed in the community. Side effects of their illness can enable them to become a part of the criminal justice system.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] used the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ definition of mental illness as “health conditions that are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior (or some combination thereof) associated with distress and/or impaired functioning” (2011). Our community is exposed to a large number of individuals with mental illness. Among those individuals are the widespread homeless populations. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development reported “twenty-five percent of the sheltered homeless report a severe mental illness (as cited in Allender, Rector and Warner 2014 p. 907).” This author found the target population to be predominantly

The organic source of mental illness and “appropriate” ways to treat/care for those suffering with a mental illness has been professionally, legally, and ethically debated for years. Society’s depiction of mental illness and skewed perceptions of this population has deemed those with a mental disorder incurable. These thoughts and beliefs date back to the 17th century and continue to be an undercurrent in today’s society, even after many efforts have been employed to properly inform society. In the book Crazy: A Father’s Search through America’s Mental Health Madness, the major premise of this book is to shed light and bring awareness to the multifaceted complexity of mental health. One major argument in this book is that of jails becoming the new asylums. Created as a infrastructure to house and care for those with an mental illness, its closure left this population displaced in the community without proper care or treatment; creating an inevitable cycle of jail, mental hospital, court, release, and repeat. Throughout this cycle, those with a mental illness often encounter harsh living conditions and become victims of violence; living in confinement, while not receiving adequate care. Additionally, treatment is administered for competency not sustainability, so those with a mental illness often endure enough treatment for them to stand competent in trial. No forms of sustainability are implemented for this population to reside in the community, resulting in relapse; often

Due to their inability to adjust to American culture and traditions, European Immigrants crowded Psychiatric facilities. Mental illness was looked at from the medical perspective and was viewed as incurable, causing individuals to be directed to asylums. Revolutionizing ideas about the causes and treatments of mental illness and deinstitutionalization revived the role of Occupational Therapist in the role of treatment of mental illness. A century later, and though the assistance of occupational therapy in mental health and in the community remain available, still the prevalence in the 18-25-year-old group continues at double the rate of the general population (AOTA). The recovery model emphasizes independence and supports a person’s journey

For a reason I don’t understand, teenagers will often call their peers “Social Justice Warriors” as an insult. As if being proactive about the world around us is a negative thing that should be squashed through insecurity. I am someone who has often been called a social justice warrior. But despite how those who say it would want me to feel, it actually makes me happy. It makes me happy because it means that even if they don’t want to hear or think about how the world treats people and things that don’t fit in with the norm, they know that that’s what I am fighting. To Lewis & Clark I would bring this peaceful fury. There have been times over the years when I have stopped myself from speaking up for things, but I got tired of that pretty quickly.

As per viewing the video “Healing Justice” they interaction between the punishment justice system and the healing system have two very distinct opinion and methods. The first nation view if someone changes their ways negatively they cause find their way back. As far as the legal justice system they believe, “if you did the crime you do the time”.

If I may, allow me first to interject snippets of the past I feel that this will inevitably allow me to decisively relay my long-term goal. Surprisingly, even as a young child my aspirations of being a constitutional lawyer was of no secret. Further, I would surmise that hearing tapes of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speeches, including the words “injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere” bolstered my intent. Incidentally, both of my parents where children of the era of sitting at the back of the bus, and being denied front door, or social function entrance.

When I was a school boy in kindergarten I got in trouble one day for kicking a ball over the fence. I had to the principal office and talk to him. I got a lunch detention and my parents were really mad. They were mad at the principal for overreacting they called him and complained. They made it so I did not have to go to lunch detention. It was totally injustice. After that the principal hated me and he targeted me. It was first grade and I was staring in a play about tortoise and the hare. I dreadfully messed up my line and after the play he was all like why you mess it up did you practice. I never starred in another play. We would play soccer in fourth grade and some one slide talked me so when I shot I epicly missed and put the ball over

At my current field placement, I have been able to gain a deeper understanding of mental illness regarding social, economic, and environmental justice. Many of the clients who visit the agency are residents of Newark, NJ. Newark is home to the “largest garbage incinerators, one of the most contaminated sites (Agent Orange Dioxin Factory), active and abandoned industrial facilities, close flight paths, and active