Illness In Prisons
Abstract
The basis of this research paper is to identify programs and services provided to the mentally ill in prison populations. Large portions of inmates suffer with a mental disease or disorder and this makes treatment challenging for administration and mental health personnel. The information in this research includes the common elements, improvements, and core benefits provided in the program, that exists in mental health courts, today.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) (2016), the United States has the largest prison population in the world. In regards to the percentage of the incarcerated that suffer from some form of mental illness, the American Psychological Association (APA) states, “Mental illness …show more content…
Substance abuse is also rampant and often co-occurring” (Collier, 2014). With deinstitutionalization started in 1955 (Torrey, 1997) and offenders with mental illness ended up going in and out of the prison system. This drained resources and increased prison populations exponentially and many problems arose due to the influx and lack of funding. Prison systems were not prepared to treat mental illnesses and it became necessary to find a solution, quickly. The solution was to treat the mentally ill in the prison system, “Mental health courts link offenders who would ordinarily be prison-bound to long-term, community-based treatment” (Rempel, 2014). There are common elements (Rempel, 2014) in mental health courts across the United States. Some are as follows, “Participation in a mental health court is voluntary. The defendant must consent to participation before placement in the program. Public safety is a high priority…, early intervention is essential...; intensive case management includes supervision …show more content…
There are many questions still not answered as to the effectiveness of treatment concerning the degree of the mental illness and for those that it is successful. Education and information concerning these programs provides awareness of mental illness in the prison system to the community. As offered by Eaton, “state and local mental health America affiliates are in a strategic position in their communities to influence and guide the development and implementation of mental health courts in ways that safeguard the needs and rights of consumers” (Eaton, Kakuma, Wright, & Minas,
The basis of this research paper is to identify programs and services provided to the mentally ill in prison populations. Large portions of inmates suffer with a mental disease or disorder and this makes treatment challenging for administration and mental health personnel. The information in this research includes the common elements, improvements, and core benefits provided in the program, that exists in mental health courts, today.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) (2016), the United States has the largest prison population in the world. In regards to the percentage of the incarcerated that suffer from some form of mental illness, the American Psychological Association (APA) states, “Mental illness …show more content…
Substance abuse is also rampant and often co-occurring” (Collier, 2014). With deinstitutionalization started in 1955 (Torrey, 1997) and offenders with mental illness ended up going in and out of the prison system. This drained resources and increased prison populations exponentially and many problems arose due to the influx and lack of funding. Prison systems were not prepared to treat mental illnesses and it became necessary to find a solution, quickly. The solution was to treat the mentally ill in the prison system, “Mental health courts link offenders who would ordinarily be prison-bound to long-term, community-based treatment” (Rempel, 2014). There are common elements (Rempel, 2014) in mental health courts across the United States. Some are as follows, “Participation in a mental health court is voluntary. The defendant must consent to participation before placement in the program. Public safety is a high priority…, early intervention is essential...; intensive case management includes supervision …show more content…
There are many questions still not answered as to the effectiveness of treatment concerning the degree of the mental illness and for those that it is successful. Education and information concerning these programs provides awareness of mental illness in the prison system to the community. As offered by Eaton, “state and local mental health America affiliates are in a strategic position in their communities to influence and guide the development and implementation of mental health courts in ways that safeguard the needs and rights of consumers” (Eaton, Kakuma, Wright, & Minas,