There are severe issues within the criminal justice system dealing with mental health. The main one that I will be focusing on is the large number of inmates in prisons and jails are mentally ill and I will be discussing how the criminal justice system is not fit to properly care for these individuals. A staggering number of inmates in prisons and jails are diagnosed with some mental illness. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in “2005 more than half of all prison and jail inmates had a mental health problem, including 705,600 inmates in State prisons, 78,800 in Federal prisons, and 479,900 in local jails” (James, 2006). Even some “clinical studies suggest that 6 to 15 percent of persons in city and county jails and 10 to 15 percent
…show more content…
These men and women deserve to be in an environment that is suited to their needs and their care, such as a psychiatric hospital. The issue at hand is that many correctional facilities are incarcerating offenders that are mentally ill, not to mention all of the inmates that develop mental disorders in prison or jail. According to this article, “large numbers of seriously mentally ill persons are being incarcerated because their disturbed behavior is criminalized” (Peterka-Benton, 2013). This article also states that, “the criminal justice system is struggling to manage the needs of these mentally ill persons in correctional settings” (Peterka-Benton, 2013). The mental illnesses that inmates tend to have are depression, mania, or other psychotic disorders (James, 2006). Just because a person is dealing with a mental health issue does not mean that he or she is “crazy” or a “threat to society”; these people can lead normal and happy lives with medication and therapy. But the problem in correctional facilities is that some mentally ill inmates are not getting the proper treatment for their illnesses. According to an investigation of Rikers Island, a famous prison, it was found that …show more content…
Inmates are the main group that is affected by this issue. The inmates who are considered to be “normal” by societies standards may feel uncomfortable around the mentally ill inmates and not know how to act around them. They may also feel cheated, because the mentally ill inmates may get special treatment and privileges because of their condition. But, the real victims are the mentally ill inmates, who are a constant target from the moment they arrive in prison or jail. In fact, there was a “report on the shocking prevalence of inmate abuse at the Rikers Island correctional facility” (Bennett, 2016). “Reportedly, from January through November 2013, 129 inmates suffered serious injuries; 77 % of those injured had a mental illness diagnosis” (Bennett, 2016). They reported that some of the abuse was from other inmates, but a lot of the abuse was from correctional officers, who work at the facility (Bennet, 2016). This article mainly covers the physical abuse that mentally ill inmates have to suffer, but they do not cover the emotional and sexual abuse that they have to endure. The majority of jails in prisons deal with the overwhelming number of men and women who are sexually abused. The prisons who are weaker and vulnerable are targeted as soon as they come into the facility. “In its 2013 study on adult facilities, the BJS found that prisoners showing symptoms of severe psychological distress were
These men and women deserve to be in an environment that is suited to their needs and their care, such as a psychiatric hospital. The issue at hand is that many correctional facilities are incarcerating offenders that are mentally ill, not to mention all of the inmates that develop mental disorders in prison or jail. According to this article, “large numbers of seriously mentally ill persons are being incarcerated because their disturbed behavior is criminalized” (Peterka-Benton, 2013). This article also states that, “the criminal justice system is struggling to manage the needs of these mentally ill persons in correctional settings” (Peterka-Benton, 2013). The mental illnesses that inmates tend to have are depression, mania, or other psychotic disorders (James, 2006). Just because a person is dealing with a mental health issue does not mean that he or she is “crazy” or a “threat to society”; these people can lead normal and happy lives with medication and therapy. But the problem in correctional facilities is that some mentally ill inmates are not getting the proper treatment for their illnesses. According to an investigation of Rikers Island, a famous prison, it was found that …show more content…
Inmates are the main group that is affected by this issue. The inmates who are considered to be “normal” by societies standards may feel uncomfortable around the mentally ill inmates and not know how to act around them. They may also feel cheated, because the mentally ill inmates may get special treatment and privileges because of their condition. But, the real victims are the mentally ill inmates, who are a constant target from the moment they arrive in prison or jail. In fact, there was a “report on the shocking prevalence of inmate abuse at the Rikers Island correctional facility” (Bennett, 2016). “Reportedly, from January through November 2013, 129 inmates suffered serious injuries; 77 % of those injured had a mental illness diagnosis” (Bennett, 2016). They reported that some of the abuse was from other inmates, but a lot of the abuse was from correctional officers, who work at the facility (Bennet, 2016). This article mainly covers the physical abuse that mentally ill inmates have to suffer, but they do not cover the emotional and sexual abuse that they have to endure. The majority of jails in prisons deal with the overwhelming number of men and women who are sexually abused. The prisons who are weaker and vulnerable are targeted as soon as they come into the facility. “In its 2013 study on adult facilities, the BJS found that prisoners showing symptoms of severe psychological distress were