Essay On Mental Health Care In Prison

Not having mental health care in the prison system is a risk for many people such as officers,other inmates , individuals suffering from schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a disorder that affects a person's ability to think, feel, and behave clearly. Aufderheide says “Between 2.3 and 3.9 percent of inmates in state prisons are estimated to have schizophrenia”(1). Some people say that this illness has been affecting the world, but especially the prison system. This disorder is one of the main causes individuals enter the criminal justice system. Due to the lack of resources provided by the government mental illness with continuing to destroy our community and increase the cost of health care. Schizophrenia is the most prevalent and affects the highest amount of inmates in the prison system today. …show more content…
However, the growing realization of how much mental illness affects health care costs and the number of lost work days is changing this trend. Sarah Varney from Kaiser Health News states “It cost the jail 28 million dollars a year to provide medical and mental health care to inmates”(2). The cost of providing mental health within the prison system is growing because of the failure to provide the necessary treatment. The prison system has spent more money on health care treatment than equipped for the individuals due to this growing epidemic. Prisons are meant to punish, not as mental health treatment facilities, though this has been the role that more and more correctional systems are taking on without the needed funding. Prisons depend on funding and resources in the