In the research study conducted by Virginia G. Cooper and Patricia A. Zapf, they are looking to come up with potential accurate diagnosis guidelines for declaring if someone is competent or incompetent when coming to their ability to stand trial. This is something they are evaluating, because there are many individuals each year sent for “competency evaluations” and there are no procedures set up from ”the courts for making a competency evaluation” (424). They are hoping to find out what factors reliably determine competency. Cooper and Zapf are specifically looking for potential prejudices of “clinicians” rulings of “468 criminal defendants” from “Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility in 1994 to 1997” on their “competency” by analyzing the…
The author also noted the impossible conditions faced by ex-convicts when they are released from prison. The author touched on the difficulties experienced by ex-convicts who have been incarcerated for much longer than necessary. She mentions that there is a great absence of fatherhood in the African-American community because a lot of fathers are being thrown into jail for unjust reasons. She goes further to explain the afterlife of men when they are released from prison.…
Bryan Stevenson, an established lawyer with a degree from Harvard Law School and an author of his own personal memoir titled Just Mercy, constantly battles the problems within the criminal justice system. In Stevenson’s memoir, he makes multiple arguments about the unfairness and the need for change within the criminal justice system. One such argument is that of individuals with mental health problems not being properly diagnosed during their trials, therefore receiving lengthy prison sentences such as life in prison. In order to convey his message about the neglect of the mentally ill in American prisons, Stevenson uses numbers, as well as stories that pull at the heartstrings of his readers. Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson’s memoir was written…
Finally, months have passed since our media have published a chilling inside story of the life in the Sonoma County jail (Main Adult Detention Facility) that remained unsolved by experts for years. The most important subject publicized from this magnificent source, was that this immoral county jail has lacked the quality of serious attention for prisoners with mental health disabilities. There are mental health resources in the Sonoma County jail. These programs are available for ordinary inmates in certain modules, but restricted for disoriented inmates that would benefit through these therapeutic programs. These mentally ill inmates who need excessive therapy and support locked away and neglected in segregation for days, months or many years, causing psychological and physical deterioration.…
Client’s biological mother is deceased and described as a stern but loving mother. She passed away during Monica’s sophomore year (when she was 15 years old) after a long battle with breast cancer. Client’s biological father is 40, currently lives in California and is described to be an absent father. They would speak two times a year, but he did not provide any form of support. Client’s biological grandmother is 65, is recently retired from teaching, and is described as being a loving and supportive woman.…
Pfeiffer’s article “A Death in the Box” discusses the unfortunate reality that the mentally ill are forced to face within the criminal justice system by detailing the life and tragic suicide of a young mentally ill woman named Jessica Roger. The article centers on the debate about the punishments given to mentally deficient inmates and reveals the main underlying problem the system faces in that “when people with mental illness end up in prison, the need to treat them collides with the need to keep prison order, and everything about the system favors the latter” (Pfeiffer 3). While maintaining order may seem to be more important at first glance, misinformation and improper treatment of the mentally ill inmates can lead to a worsening of the condition, behavior, or even physical and psychological harm to the people involved. Even worse that the neglectful actions the prisons exhibit when treating the patients, the disciplinary action enforced on those suffering from illness are unjust as the “mentally ill inmates are punished for exhibiting symptoms of illness that the system has failed to treat” (Pfeiffer 3). Therefore, not only does the criminal justice system neglect to provide the mentally ill with assistance and treatment, but also forces disciplinary action upon those they fail in the process leading to a population of mentally deficient inmates slowly having their life sucked away by a corrupt…
The TED talk concerning the Neuroscience of Restorative Justice proved to present an interesting argument towards the department of corrections’ treatment towards inmates. The gentleman giving the talk spoke about his experience studying the prisoners in a secure facility. Inadvertently, the speaker spoke out about nature vs nurture while considering what deviant people are and explaining what the main take home points were from his experience at the facility. The speaker touched on the nature vs nurture debate briefly.…
The mentally ill prisoner was isolated his cell for approximately eleven days. When the staff finally checked up on the prisoner, he was found face down, covered in feces, urine and he had a body temperature of 80.6. The mentally ill prisoner was transported to the hospital and died from hypothermia and cardiac arrhythmia(Smith, 2015, para. 36). The end results of this case brings light and awareness of issues of mentally ill patient who are incarcerated for minor charges. They end up in the hands of staff members who are not trained to deals with patients who are mentally ill.…
Cultural Care for Incarcerated Pregnant Women The National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care (The National CLAS Standards, 2016) are standards that encourage an organization to improve upon the health care needs due to the increasing diverse population in America (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health [HHS], 2013). African Americans make up 53 percent of the North Carolina prison system with 7 percent of inmates being women ("NC Department of Correction Prison Statistics," 2010). Accordingly, this growing minority of women is childbearing age (Bard, Knight, & Plugge, 2016). This knowledge leads us to the need for prenatal care in correction facilities, which is imperative for positive birth outcomes.…
The counseling sessions are considered a huge step for the female inmates. In order to help the offenders change their lives, one must start by forcing them to confront their problems that caused them to be imprisoned. In these sessions, the counselor is present to help the inmates overcome their emotions and addictions. For some of the offenders confronting their pain is a very difficult process. The female inmates are placed in group settings, in order to confront each other and their personal problems.…
The Treatment of Mentally Ill Offenders There is a major issue with the mental health treatment in our society. With much of America increasingly being diagnosed with a mental illness, it is still a much stigmatized disease. It is estimated that one out of every five Americans have been diagnosed with a mental disorder ranging from mild to severe. Yet, the extent of therapy and support programs available for the mentally ill is considerably insufficient. Deinstitutionalization ultimately had a negative impact on our society and was responsible in criminalizing the mentally ill.…
Injustice in the Legal System Throughout the novels that were a required reading in class, one topic is brought to light in each, the legal system, and how it affects various families in different ways. The legal system is a procedure for interpreting and enforcing the law. Although 57 percent of Americans believe that the system is fair and just, there are more children with a parent incarcerated than are diagnosed with autism and juvenile diabetes. “In 2005, 61 people were cleared of crimes they did not commit. The amount has significantly raised till most recent in 2015, where 149 people had been released after being accused for crimes, having served on average about 14-and-a-half years in prison” (“Exonerations”).…
For years, people diagnosed with mental disorders or psychiatric illnesses are being sent to the United states prisons. America needs to ask itself, why are so many people with mental illnesses hammering through the nations criminal justice system? Is the rising population of mentally ill prisoners in correction facilities not considered a critical issue that needs to be addressed quickly? The government claims to be concerned with the publics security and well-being, so why are they not supporting their citizens’ rights, especially for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Furthermore, why aren’t they implementing the eighth amendment behind prison walls?…
In light of my qualifications for the Masters Education Program of Genetic Counseling situated at Virginia Commonwealth University, it is significant to understand the spark that lit the conflagration of my interest in the field. Genetics as a whole has proven to be a profound influence on my life until this point, as it has for many others, but contrasted from others in its influence on my mindset and desire to understand the world that surrounds humanity. The questions of why people behave, look, feel, or develop in a certain manner as opposed to another has always proven to be definite fascination in my life and through genetics the opportunity for finding the answers to such questions was revealed in its entirety. The reason for suffering…
Genetic Family History Assessment For this paper, I will complete a genetic/genomic nursing assessment. This will consist of three generations from a family. I will obtain a brief health history of each family member, as well as a reproductive history for any relevant family members. I will also, include ethnic backgrounds of each family member and identify any growth and development of each family member.…