Since 2002, the United States has had the highest incarceration rate in the world and it is continuing to increase. According to a recent analysis approximately 2.2 million people are currently incarcerated and of these 2 million, 40 percent suffer from a mental illness. (Aufderheide, 2014) The question of whether these criminals should be placed into mental health institutions or serve their time in prison has been unanswered. Criminals that are diagnosed with mental illnesses that are placed in prison, are assessed to identify what care is needed for them individually. This assessment allows for the physicians in the prison to prescribe medication, but this is the extent of the care that mentally ill inmates receive in prisons. Hospital-level
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Forcing prisoners into these environments is not healthy for them taking into consideration their mental state. Large portions of inmates that are incarcerated are not properly diagnosed; therefore their treatment cannot be determined or is one that is ineffective. Mental disorders can range from mild to severe and the environment of a prison has the tendency to amplify their conditions. The severity of their condition also determines the severity of the nervous breakdown that an inmate can have. A nervous breakdown can result in violent outrages resulting in harm done to other prisoners, guards or even harm to themselves. Multiple studies have shown that inmates who are seriously mentally ill commit nearly half of all inmate suicides. This is an increasing statistic throughout correctional facilities across America. Police officers and prison guards are not receiving training in regards to interacting and managing individuals with mental disorders. Also due to the privacy restrictions, most officers do not know the health histories of prisoners. This lack of training and knowledge is a contributing factor to the decline of a mentally ill inmate’s disorder. In a recent study done by Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, it shows that without proper hospitalization symptoms worsen and lead inmates to behave in disruptive and unusual ways. (Fuller, 2015) These episodes leave them vulnerable to being beaten, raped, and victimized not only by other prisoners but also by the guards as well in some cases. Although those who are convicted of felonies may be criminals, they have rights as human beings and being safe while being treated for their disease is one of them. Coping and working through a mental disorder is not “an easy way out” as some of the non-supporters would consider it to be. A mental hospital is the appropriate place for anyone with a mental illness, whether
Forcing prisoners into these environments is not healthy for them taking into consideration their mental state. Large portions of inmates that are incarcerated are not properly diagnosed; therefore their treatment cannot be determined or is one that is ineffective. Mental disorders can range from mild to severe and the environment of a prison has the tendency to amplify their conditions. The severity of their condition also determines the severity of the nervous breakdown that an inmate can have. A nervous breakdown can result in violent outrages resulting in harm done to other prisoners, guards or even harm to themselves. Multiple studies have shown that inmates who are seriously mentally ill commit nearly half of all inmate suicides. This is an increasing statistic throughout correctional facilities across America. Police officers and prison guards are not receiving training in regards to interacting and managing individuals with mental disorders. Also due to the privacy restrictions, most officers do not know the health histories of prisoners. This lack of training and knowledge is a contributing factor to the decline of a mentally ill inmate’s disorder. In a recent study done by Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, it shows that without proper hospitalization symptoms worsen and lead inmates to behave in disruptive and unusual ways. (Fuller, 2015) These episodes leave them vulnerable to being beaten, raped, and victimized not only by other prisoners but also by the guards as well in some cases. Although those who are convicted of felonies may be criminals, they have rights as human beings and being safe while being treated for their disease is one of them. Coping and working through a mental disorder is not “an easy way out” as some of the non-supporters would consider it to be. A mental hospital is the appropriate place for anyone with a mental illness, whether