Mental Health and Criminals
Imagine having a child with a mental illness and not knowing what will happen next. One minute they are happy and enjoying life, with the world in their hands, then suddenly, the child gets angry and violent. People get frazzled and confused, never knowing if there is a way to help or stop those violent children before it 's too late. Too late for them to make the worst mistake of their life: hurting someone dearly or going to prison for the rest of their life. An examination of prisons, jails, and mental health institutions must begin with a background and understanding of mental health issues and backgrounds and concerns for patients and prisoners. Crime rates around the world are rising due to mental health issues. Prisons and jails are there to protect everyone involved, especially the prisoners so that they don’t harm themselves or someone else. Most crimes involve some sort of weapon or firearm, in fact, Beckett states, “If we were to build a monument to commemorate all the people who died as a result of a gunshot in the last ten years, we would need a monument five times bigger than the Vietnam War” (Beckett). Several people believe that decreasing access to such weapons will in return also decrease crime rates in the mentally ill. However, according to Lois Beckett in “A Conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Swanson” “Blocking people with serious mental illnesses from buying guns worked but with only fourteen less violent crimes a year” (Beckett). This is a good step but there is still more that can be done to make the numbers of crimes decrease. A definition of prisons and jails may be helpful to understand them better. Prisons are institutional facilities under the state or federal government, with long sentencing for people who have been found guilty or have broke a state law (Angel). They have stricter rules and regulations. Jails are very similar. Jails are facilities under the city, local district, or county they are short term for newly arrested or those awaiting trial (Angel). Today, a mentally ill person will be sent to a facility immediately following their crime. Prisons and Jails are not just used for committing a crime,however crimes do happen there. According to researchers, “Back in the 1800’s, in many countries, prisons were the usual place for mental patients in lieu of asylums” (Arboleda- Florez). Today though, that is very rare because we as a whole have developed many other centers so that patients can get the right care for their problems. Any one person can develop a serious disorder at any age. According to scientists, mental disorders can also develop during imprisonment as a consequence due to the conditions and torture (Jonathan). It is extremely difficult to be locked up and it is even harder to be …show more content…
When mentally ill people are incarcerated, prisons can play a big role in the negative side of there attitude. The overcrowding, violence, lack of privacy, isolation from social media, and insecurity of future, work and relationships (Jonathan). These characteristics offline lead to things that are worse than just a longer sentencing. Most people die by suicide within the first few days of entering (Arboleda-Florez). Although there are plenty of negative things, there are also several positive sides to being in …show more content…
However as author Beynon states, “There is no evidence that expensive hospitals improve treatment outcome” (Jonathan). The justice system have begun to establish a system that can adjudicate patients with mental health issue. For example Stephen Allen exclaims “Over one hundred health courts have been established in the United States within the last decade” (Allen). These courts can evaluate other possible like options is outpatient facilities. Outpatient is equally important and valuable to one suffering from an illness. In the article, “Mental Health Issues in the Criminal Justice System”, Stephen Allen says President John F. Kennedy urged for better outpatient care facilities, such as halfway houses, therapeutic centers, and complement inpatient care” (Allen). Fixing the problem of prisons must first begin with a serious look at how the mentally are treated. Creating facilities, treatment centers, and out patients care could aid with overcrowding and reduce
Imagine having a child with a mental illness and not knowing what will happen next. One minute they are happy and enjoying life, with the world in their hands, then suddenly, the child gets angry and violent. People get frazzled and confused, never knowing if there is a way to help or stop those violent children before it 's too late. Too late for them to make the worst mistake of their life: hurting someone dearly or going to prison for the rest of their life. An examination of prisons, jails, and mental health institutions must begin with a background and understanding of mental health issues and backgrounds and concerns for patients and prisoners. Crime rates around the world are rising due to mental health issues. Prisons and jails are there to protect everyone involved, especially the prisoners so that they don’t harm themselves or someone else. Most crimes involve some sort of weapon or firearm, in fact, Beckett states, “If we were to build a monument to commemorate all the people who died as a result of a gunshot in the last ten years, we would need a monument five times bigger than the Vietnam War” (Beckett). Several people believe that decreasing access to such weapons will in return also decrease crime rates in the mentally ill. However, according to Lois Beckett in “A Conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Swanson” “Blocking people with serious mental illnesses from buying guns worked but with only fourteen less violent crimes a year” (Beckett). This is a good step but there is still more that can be done to make the numbers of crimes decrease. A definition of prisons and jails may be helpful to understand them better. Prisons are institutional facilities under the state or federal government, with long sentencing for people who have been found guilty or have broke a state law (Angel). They have stricter rules and regulations. Jails are very similar. Jails are facilities under the city, local district, or county they are short term for newly arrested or those awaiting trial (Angel). Today, a mentally ill person will be sent to a facility immediately following their crime. Prisons and Jails are not just used for committing a crime,however crimes do happen there. According to researchers, “Back in the 1800’s, in many countries, prisons were the usual place for mental patients in lieu of asylums” (Arboleda- Florez). Today though, that is very rare because we as a whole have developed many other centers so that patients can get the right care for their problems. Any one person can develop a serious disorder at any age. According to scientists, mental disorders can also develop during imprisonment as a consequence due to the conditions and torture (Jonathan). It is extremely difficult to be locked up and it is even harder to be …show more content…
When mentally ill people are incarcerated, prisons can play a big role in the negative side of there attitude. The overcrowding, violence, lack of privacy, isolation from social media, and insecurity of future, work and relationships (Jonathan). These characteristics offline lead to things that are worse than just a longer sentencing. Most people die by suicide within the first few days of entering (Arboleda-Florez). Although there are plenty of negative things, there are also several positive sides to being in …show more content…
However as author Beynon states, “There is no evidence that expensive hospitals improve treatment outcome” (Jonathan). The justice system have begun to establish a system that can adjudicate patients with mental health issue. For example Stephen Allen exclaims “Over one hundred health courts have been established in the United States within the last decade” (Allen). These courts can evaluate other possible like options is outpatient facilities. Outpatient is equally important and valuable to one suffering from an illness. In the article, “Mental Health Issues in the Criminal Justice System”, Stephen Allen says President John F. Kennedy urged for better outpatient care facilities, such as halfway houses, therapeutic centers, and complement inpatient care” (Allen). Fixing the problem of prisons must first begin with a serious look at how the mentally are treated. Creating facilities, treatment centers, and out patients care could aid with overcrowding and reduce