Discussion The treatment and care of mentally ill individuals within correctional institutions is a major social issue society currently faces. Due to overcrowding and a lack of funds for programs and trained professionals, many mentally ill inmates only receive limited care (Huxter, 2013; Kerle, 2016). An important step in improving their overall condition is conducting research into different treatment methods and their success in treating mentally ill offenders within a correctional setting. This paper examined this issue using two sub-disciplines of psychology, forensic psychology and clinical psychology.
While forensic psychology is a rather young field of psychology it can still provide valuable insight into the problem of mental illness …show more content…
Privacy in these institutions is rare and the confidentiality that the inmates can expect is somewhat limited compared to confidentiality outside of the institution. This and other factors such as mistrust of the institution’s employees can prevent individuals from seeking help and is therefore a hindrance to successful treatment (Kupers, 2005). Still, some inmates can have access to a multitude of support systems. These systems can be both formal and informal and encompass sources such as family, friends, security staff or counselors (Mitchell & Latchford, 2010). Often times mentally ill inmates also have prescription medication that is supposed to alleviate their symptoms. However, medication adherence plays an important role in the medication’s effectiveness and can be problematic when working with an incarcerated population (Mills et al., …show more content…
In order to improve recidivism rates of mentally ill offenders and help them reintegrate into society, the effects of the different treatment options and their influence on released individuals should also be studied. Determining which treatment has the most long lasting effect and prepares the individual for their time after their release is definitely another important step to take. Lastly, future research should also focus on comparing different counseling approaches. While CBT is currently the most commonly used method of counseling within correctional institutions (Lanza et al., 2014), not much research has been conducted to identify which counseling method is the most effective specifically when working with inmates of correctional institutions. While this research would be a difficult and expensive endeavour and would be nearly impossible to conduct at this current time, the results would be vital to the attempt of providing the best possible treatment to incarcerated individuals with mental
While forensic psychology is a rather young field of psychology it can still provide valuable insight into the problem of mental illness …show more content…
Privacy in these institutions is rare and the confidentiality that the inmates can expect is somewhat limited compared to confidentiality outside of the institution. This and other factors such as mistrust of the institution’s employees can prevent individuals from seeking help and is therefore a hindrance to successful treatment (Kupers, 2005). Still, some inmates can have access to a multitude of support systems. These systems can be both formal and informal and encompass sources such as family, friends, security staff or counselors (Mitchell & Latchford, 2010). Often times mentally ill inmates also have prescription medication that is supposed to alleviate their symptoms. However, medication adherence plays an important role in the medication’s effectiveness and can be problematic when working with an incarcerated population (Mills et al., …show more content…
In order to improve recidivism rates of mentally ill offenders and help them reintegrate into society, the effects of the different treatment options and their influence on released individuals should also be studied. Determining which treatment has the most long lasting effect and prepares the individual for their time after their release is definitely another important step to take. Lastly, future research should also focus on comparing different counseling approaches. While CBT is currently the most commonly used method of counseling within correctional institutions (Lanza et al., 2014), not much research has been conducted to identify which counseling method is the most effective specifically when working with inmates of correctional institutions. While this research would be a difficult and expensive endeavour and would be nearly impossible to conduct at this current time, the results would be vital to the attempt of providing the best possible treatment to incarcerated individuals with mental