Criminalization of Mental Illness Essays - Psychiatry, Health

Criminalization of Mental Illness Estefania Oliveros Psychology of Abnormal Behavior LA 108-66 Criminalization of Mental Illness Mental Illness can be defined as, "any of various disorders characterized chiefly by abnormal behavior or an inability to function socially, including diseases of the mind and personality and certain diseases of the brain. Also called mental disease, mental disorder" (Dictionary, 2002). In other words, anything that affects someone's ability to mentally function normally in today's society, may be considered a disease. Due to the inability of the mentally ill, to function in society and going through the process of being deinstitutionalized, many of their actions have led to consequences that caused them to end up in prisons and jails. This caused the increase of the mentally ill population in the criminal justice system. This was not always the case when it came down to the mentally ill. Institutions were being created to help them maintain a stable lifestyle. The creation of institutions became popular thanks to Dorothe Dix. This happened during the 1840s when she visited a jail and noticed the harsh living conditions of the mentally ill. She believed that these people could be cured and fought for better treatment. Her efforts lead to the establishment of 110 psychiatric hospitals by 1880. The institutions were created to help the mentally ill become more functional in society and provided some sort of treatment for their conditions (Pan, D., 2013). This was a great idea because it gave mentally ill a place where they could be themselves and allow them to express themselves in ways they could not have done before. Although the institutions were providing treatment, due to financial problems the institutions were later forced to shut down. This lead to a progressed called deinstitutionalization or the "release of institutionalized individuals from institutional care (as in a psychiatric hospital) to care in the community" (Dictionary, 2002). Due to deinstitutionalization along with the lack of community support groups, many people found themselves a different type of institutionalization, prisons and jails. This left many mentally ill people to basically survive on their own without being able to comprehend how society was functioning. This is an issue that is still occurring today. According to the National Institute of Corrections, "In a 2006 Special Report, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) estimated that 705,600 mentally ill adults were incarcerated in state prisons, 78,800 in federal prisons and 479,900 in local jails. In addition, research suggests that "people with mental illnesses are overrepresented in probation and parole populations at estimated rates ranging from two to four times the general population". Growing numbers of mentally ill offenders have strained correctional systems" (Grant, A., 2013). Many people believe that sending the mentally ill to jail or prison will help them have some type of stability in their lives. The reason for this is because society believes that they will be under supervision and this will allow them to have some sort of protection and it will also allow them to stay away from society. Although this might be true for some people, it is not always the case with everyone. "In New York, a man with schizophrenia spent 13 years of a 15-year prison sentence in solitary confinement. In a Minnesota county jail, a man with schizophrenia stabbed out both of his eyes with a pencil in his cell. A study of 132 suicide attempts in a county jail in Washington found that 77 percent of them had a "chronic psychiatric problem," compared with 15 percent among the rest of the jail population" (Swanson, A., 2015). Upon release they are sent back to the same society that sent them to prison or jail in the first place. According to the National Institute of Corrections, "prison and jail inmates with physical health, mental health, and substance use problems experience more reintegration difficulties upon release, and they typically have poorer outcomes with respect to employment, re-offending, and re-incarceration. Maintaining treatment for these health problems may help improve post-release outcomes. Many inmates presently receive health care while incarcerated, but a lack of health insurance and other barriers contribute to declines in health treatment and functioning once released. Access to care through insurance coverage helps not only the individual,