Prisons could actually be bad for mentally ill offenders. There are factors in prisons that can have a negative effect on mental health, including: overcrowding, various forms of violence, enforced solitude, lack of privacy, lack of activity, and inadequate mental health services. There is a concern regarding increased suicide risks in prisons that are exacerbated by the contributing factors listed above. Unfortunately, prisons are at times a dumping ground for mentally ill people. This is due to the lack of mental health services and often times linked to substance abuse disorders. Within society, people with mental illness often face stigma and discrimination, which often carries over into the prison environment. (Johnston, 2015
