Mental Illnesses In The Criminal Justice System

Mental illnesses can not be avoided, but the earlier they are detected, the easier they are to manage. When a child grows up in an abusive environment; witnessing traumatic events: alcoholic parents, drug addicts, homelessness, foster care, it is not surprising for them to develop a mental disorder. These events are common triggers for a child with a long line of mental illnesses in their families and it is rare for them to escape the cycle; since they most likely lack the proper resources to receive help. The statistics of the criminal justice system portray the results of inadequate health care, as Sarah Varney from Kaiser Health News acknowledged, “ By 2006, the Department of Justice reported that 1 in 6 inmates in state prisons and 1 in four in local jails were psychotic. …show more content…
Impulse disorders that are common among adult male inmates typically begin to set in between the ages of 10 – 12.” These statistics show that children with horrible lifestyles are being ignored, and having their paths to incarceration laid out in front of them the second they struggle. The mentally ill suffer enough throughout their childhood and their adult life, but now they are being incarcerated. They are being criminalized for being mentally unstable and are being refused the help they so clearly deserve. Detecting a mental disorder in their childhood or removing them from their unstable environment will definitely help them avoid incarceration in the future and reduce the current prison population. With that being said, their battle does not end after incarceration, “When these inmates are released, they often return to lives of poverty and trauma.” (Source #1) After being released, they now have a criminal record, making it even harder for them to obtain a job, and having to live with the new trauma obtained from their prison