Jails and prisons across the nation are housing more and more mentally ill inmates where they are locked away and untreated for their illness. Such an occurrence is prevalent due to the fact that many mentally ill individuals are committing petty crimes and put into the criminal justice system where they are almost always sent to jail or prison. With such a predictable outcome, these inmates worsen behind bars in regards to their mental health, and when released with no form of treatment they are more prone to recidivate and once again return into the system.
With this in mind, the U.S is essentially housing the same inmates again and again wasting great amounts of money when they could have paid for a form of treatment once when their first offense occurred and end the cycle then and there, for the offender …show more content…
Furthermore, according to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (2016), which is the program that began the treatment of mentally ill inmates, have not only saved $17,600 a year for each participant, but they have also noted improvements on rates on unemployment, jail time and hospitalized stays of these past offenders, something that would have not occurred if they were simply locked away untreated. In essence this program for the mentally ill is not only providing the offenders with a treatment to overcome their mental illness but they are giving them a chance to a normal life. They no longer have the burden of an illness preventing them from doing normal things that lead them to commit petty crimes. They now have a cure to their illness and are able to look back and learn, they are more prone to better themselves than to go back to their old
With this in mind, the U.S is essentially housing the same inmates again and again wasting great amounts of money when they could have paid for a form of treatment once when their first offense occurred and end the cycle then and there, for the offender …show more content…
Furthermore, according to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (2016), which is the program that began the treatment of mentally ill inmates, have not only saved $17,600 a year for each participant, but they have also noted improvements on rates on unemployment, jail time and hospitalized stays of these past offenders, something that would have not occurred if they were simply locked away untreated. In essence this program for the mentally ill is not only providing the offenders with a treatment to overcome their mental illness but they are giving them a chance to a normal life. They no longer have the burden of an illness preventing them from doing normal things that lead them to commit petty crimes. They now have a cure to their illness and are able to look back and learn, they are more prone to better themselves than to go back to their old