Introduction
In response to question one of unit four, I will discuss the issues, problems, and concerns pertaining to the mentally ill offenders in the United States.
Discussion
There are several mentally ill offenders within the correctional system of the United States, there were over 1.2 million reported in 2006 (National Institute of Corrections, n.d.). The population of inmates with mental illness is steadily growing creating a strain on facilities to house as well as provide proper treatment. The correctional facilities now house more mentally ill individuals then hospitals, reverting back to the nineteenth century means of handling the mentally ill (Terry et. al., 2010). The reform efforts of Dorothea Dix in 1840, prompted a new …show more content…
al., 2010). There were several more studies conducted in the following twenty years, all indicating the incarceration of mentally ill persons was getting much worse. The focus was to save money by closing the hospitals foregoing the health concerns of the mentally ill as well as their wellbeing. A study was conducted following a group of mentally ill individuals following their release from the hospitals, nearly all were homeless or incarcerated within six months of …show more content…
The closing of the state mental hospitals created a tremendous strain on the correctional system of the United States (Terry et. al., 2010). The individuals suffering from mental illness are not receiving the appropriate level of care to address their issues while within the correctional system then they are released back into society without a plan to continue medications or treatment plans to assist with ability to lead a somewhat normal life. There should be a call for reform to assist with mentally ill offenders in a manner that is more productive for society as well as the
In response to question one of unit four, I will discuss the issues, problems, and concerns pertaining to the mentally ill offenders in the United States.
Discussion
There are several mentally ill offenders within the correctional system of the United States, there were over 1.2 million reported in 2006 (National Institute of Corrections, n.d.). The population of inmates with mental illness is steadily growing creating a strain on facilities to house as well as provide proper treatment. The correctional facilities now house more mentally ill individuals then hospitals, reverting back to the nineteenth century means of handling the mentally ill (Terry et. al., 2010). The reform efforts of Dorothea Dix in 1840, prompted a new …show more content…
al., 2010). There were several more studies conducted in the following twenty years, all indicating the incarceration of mentally ill persons was getting much worse. The focus was to save money by closing the hospitals foregoing the health concerns of the mentally ill as well as their wellbeing. A study was conducted following a group of mentally ill individuals following their release from the hospitals, nearly all were homeless or incarcerated within six months of …show more content…
The closing of the state mental hospitals created a tremendous strain on the correctional system of the United States (Terry et. al., 2010). The individuals suffering from mental illness are not receiving the appropriate level of care to address their issues while within the correctional system then they are released back into society without a plan to continue medications or treatment plans to assist with ability to lead a somewhat normal life. There should be a call for reform to assist with mentally ill offenders in a manner that is more productive for society as well as the