Crime Vs Incarceration Essay

Does America have a crime problem, or a mental health problem? Or, do we have a mental health problem that is contributing to our growing crime problem and incarceration rates? Numbers indicate that America's growing crime and incarceration rates are greatly contributed to by untreated mental health issues. While having a mental illness does not automatically negate ones responsibility for having committed a crime, it is something that needs addressed during and after incarceration. Anyone who has dealt with a friend or family member who has a mental illness knows the general public is not well equipped to deal with these issues. So it is easy to understand how staff at the nations various correctional facilities would not be much better at
However, one of the things often heard from victims is how they hope that no one else has to go through what they went through, and that they do not want the person who victimized them to do it to anyone else. If a persons mental illness is somehow responsible for them committing a crime, then the best way to increase the chances they will not commit further crimes is to manage that mental illness. The majority of criminals do not spend the rest of their life in prison. Helping them cope with the things that drove them to commit a crime is a more logical way of protecting the community. And as evidenced by the number out of Michgan treatment is far better for the tax payer in the long run. Another important factor is that as a society America needs to work to stop the stigma of mental illness and address it directly. Mental health care is both hard to find and difficult to afford. Even for those who have insurance they are still left to pay out of pocket for insurance as many plans either do not cover mental health care, or they do not cover it until the deductable is met. If mental health needs are met at an earlier age then perhaps those suffering with mental illnesses can be prevented from committing crimes