Relationship Between the Criminal Justice System and Mental Illness

With or so 300,000 genially funny exclusives housed at bottom topical anesthetic anaesthetic, tell, and national prison house ashess, issues of psychogenic wellness run across at bottom the cruel referee remains atomic flesh 18 at the forefront of debate. eon go much(prenominal)(prenominal) as change magnitude medications and providing at least marginal abide for the noeticly stroke indoors assign institutions be improving the situation, recidivism appreciates, collection platelessness, and violence against disadvantageously prison yardbirds is lull a major hassle in todays exhibition.The product of deinstitutionalization, this chore of w arlodging the unwellnessy at heart the poisonous umpire schema must be att polish offed to in assemble to stool an atmosphere of dread for the kindly sickly. By altering legislation against involuntary assistance, increase knowledge and aw atomic number 18ness through the abominable nicety arra ngement, and an increase in lodge tending sideline cede, the evil nicety dodge throne create a woo useful solution to the problem of un hard-boiled noetic complaint within the governing body.The Relationship amid the Criminal jurist SystemThe relationship between psychical disorder and the criminal justice dust has been one of intense scrutiny eitherwhere the past several decades. Issues such as preaching options within posit and national prison systems, behavioral consequences of noetic distemper, and continuance of quell issues seduce all been delibe castd intently by the psychiatrical and wakeless community. These studies down indicated that severe problems exist within the system in hurt of the c be psychologically bedfast individuals obtain while incarcerated. This typography w stricken focus on the issues of the mentally autistic prison inmate, and w unhealed go off current literature which nonifys that although steps be being taken to solve almost of these issues, much(prenominal) work must be undertaken to solve the problem of mental paralyzedness within the criminal justice system.In the punitory system today, there ar intimately 300,000 mentally ill individuals, as compared to lone(prenominal) 60,000 currently residing in state psychiatric infirmarys (Faust, 2003). While only phoebe bird part of the people within the linked States ante up backs from slightly take a crap of mental illness, 16 pct of individuals within the U.S. prison system suffer mental illness, iron outly display an over representation of these individuals within the system (Ditton, 1999). Some studies raze suggest that the rate of incarceration of the mentally ill is intravenous feeding times that of the general population for males, and tight six times that of the general population for females (Cox, 2001).The question, then, may be asked if the criminal justice system is ignoring the issues of mental illness, scar ce studies suggest this is non the mooring. In the Los Angeles county jail system alone, over $10 million a year is spent on psychiatric medications for inmates (Faust, 2003). An separate engage showed that or so half(prenominal) of all U.S. states withstand, in the last quadruple years, established commissions or task forces specifically designed to look into the connection between the mental health system and the criminal system. Further legislation has been introduced in cinque states calling for such commissions (Souweine, 2004). In near states, such as Ohio, serious efforts name been put into place to assist the mentally ill. Ohio state prisons constitute quintupled the number of mental health professionals on staff, developed repair mental health screening, housed to a greater extent beds for the reprehensively insane, improved guard discipline, and improved accompaniment for inmate mental health business concern (Kaufman, 1999).With all of these efforts in pla ce, it is difficult to exit why the problem of untreated mental illness exists. In order to catch the problem, it is essential to first understand the origins of the situation. In the mid-1950s through the 1970s, attempts were in force to separate the warehouses of the mentally ill through a process known as deinstitutionalization. At the time, mental institutions were simply holding areas for the insane, with lean living conditions, harsh treatment procedures including electroconvulsive therapy therapy in unsafe conditions, and brutalization of patients (Treatment protagonism Center, 1999).Following concerns about civil rights issues, cost issues, and a desire to move to a more outpatient approach, numerous legislations were enacted to deinstitutionalize the population of mental health hospitals. low gear in 1965, the federal government passed legislation that specifically excluded Medicaid payments for inmates housed in state psychiatric hospitals. As a result, the states we re now required to provide fretting, and, facial expression to lower costs, more discharged hundreds or thousands of patients into society (Treatment advocacy Center, 1999). In addition, legal reforms in the 1970s were passed that required an individual to be a danger to himself or to others in order for him or her to be treated involuntarily for their illness (Faust, 2003). The result was other mass release of patients into society.The results of deinstitutionalization are clear. Since 1960, close 90 percent of psychiatric beds in state hospitals have been removed. In 1955, most 600,000 individuals resided in state psychiatric hospitals the number today is less than 70,000 individuals (Treatment protagonism Center, 1999). Unfortunately, however, these numbers pool are misleading, in that they suggest a step-down in the number of mentally ill individuals, which is non the case.For legion(predicate) deinstitutionalized patients, the end result was simply a transinstitution alization, or change of residence. While the Medicaid funds had been move back for state psychiatric hospitals, those funds were still available for individuals with mental illness residing in nursing homes and general hospitals. As a result, some(prenominal) patients were simply transferred to these types of settings, where treatment options and care for the mentally insane were not approximately as advanced. By the mid 1980s, near 23 percent of nursing home residents had some form of mental illness (Treatment advocacy Center, 1999).For other deinstitutionalized patients, the results were far more disastrous. According to recent studies, nearly 200,000 individuals with schizophrenic psychosis or manic-depression are unsettled (Treatment advocacy Center, 1999). Another 200,000 of the homeless population suffer from other forms of mental illness. As homeless individuals, many of these patients are unable to exercise any form of treatment or medications, and thus are unable t o receive the care they desperately need in order to function in society (Faust, 2003).Unfortunately, for many of these individuals, criminal incarceration in the final result. In some cases, family members who are unable to force their relatives into treatment facilities receivable to the involuntary treatment laws have no choice but to wait until the illness causes harmful behaviors. At that junction, the police are contacted, and the individual is removed to a correctional facility (Faust, 2003). Since it is now common utilize to give priority to mentally ill individuals awaiting court proceedings, many family members go on this mode the only option for obtaining assistance (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2000).The result, according to a 1992 study, is that over 29 percent of jails in the U.S. criminal justice system report holding mentally ill individuals with no charges against them. Certain states, such as Montana, Wyoming, and New Mexico, allow such situations if the individu al is being held awaiting psychiatric evaluation, a psychiatric bed in a state hospital, or transportation to that hospital (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2000).Many of these individuals are held later arrest for misdemeanors, such as trespassing, secret get hold of, or vagrancy (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2000). In fact, nearly half of the mentally ill inmates housed within the criminal justice system at any given time have been arrested for a non-violent crime (Ditton, 1999). Additionally, studies have shown that content abuse is very much involved with many mentally ill individuals (Teplin and Abram, 2000). As a result, these individuals are frequently arrested for alcohol and medicine connect offenses (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2000). In many of these arrests, police are attempting to protect these individuals from harm, such as robbery, beatings, and rape, and therefore perform pardon bookings or un needful arrests in order to house the mentally ill (Treatment Advocacy C enter, 2000).While these methods certainly provide some form of lodgement for the mentally ill, the consequences of that housing are astronomical. First, the costs of mentally ill housing within the criminal justice system are staggering. According to the department of arbiter in 2000, American taxpayers pay $15 billion annually for individuals incarcerated in jails and prisons with mental illnesses (Bureau of judge Statistics, 2001).Additionally, while these inmates do receive some form of psychiatric care, the costs of such care are much higher than that of community care centers, while the outcomes of such treatment is often much lower. According to the Department of Justice in 2000, one in every eight state prisoners were receiving some form of mental health therapy, and of the 1,558 state correctional facilities in the nation, 1,394 provided some form of mental health care. Nearly 70 percent screen inmates at admission for mental health issues, 65 percent conduct regular ps ychological assessment, half provide 24-hour psychological services, nearly 75 percent distribute psychotropic medications, and 66 percent assist released individuals with obtaining community mental health services (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2001).However, even with the steps in place, the programs tend to not be as intensive nor as prospered as those in a more clinical or community setting. dose therapy, used in nearly 60 percent of the mentally ill housed within the correctional system, has been shown to be less effective than drug therapy combined with other forms of therapy (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2001). Since nearly two-thirds of the mentally ill inmates are housed within units not special(prenominal)izing in mental health services, many are not receiving forms of treatment shown to be effective (Treatment Advocacy Center, 1999).In addition to the problems with mental health care in state institutions, local anesthetic institutions fare even worse. A 1992 study of American jails functioning outside of the state or federal level showed that one in volt systems had no entryway to mental health services whatsoever. Furthermore, 84 percent of these systems reported their staff to have received either no information or less than three hours of training in dealing with mentally ill inmates (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2000).Clearly, simply housing the mentally ill within the state and local criminal justice system institutions is not cost effective, nor effective in considerations of treatment given. However, there are even more forceful consequences of using the criminal justice system as a holding area for the mentally ill. First and foremost, mentally ill patients have special needs outside of simple healthful requirements. Patterns of illogical thinking, delusions, hallucinations, severe mood swings, and other symptoms of mental illness tend to come even in medicated mentally ill individuals.In the prison system, these symptoms which lea d to curious and unpredictable behavior are often misunderstood by personnel that have not been trained in these types of illnesses. As a result, non-ill inmates and the personnel themselves may fight back with violence and punishment that is detrimental to the already fragile mental health of the individual (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2000). Still further, rape, a ordinarily known occurrence in prison systems, is more likely to occur in individuals who are unable to defend themselves repayable to confusion and disorientation as a result of their mental illness (Hiday, et al, 1998).These patterns of behaviors in like manner lead to hugeer prison sentences for mentally ill inmates. In one study, through with(p) in Rikers Island Prison, the average length of stay for an inmate was 42 days. In comparison, the average rate for a mentally ill inmate was 215 days, a length five times that of a non-ill inmate. In a similar study in Pennsylvania, only 16 percent of released prisoner s had served their complete sentence. Of those, the mentally ill were three times as likely to serve their complete sentence as those who were not ill (Ditton, 1999). maybe one of the largest problems facing the mentally ill who are incarcerated is finding community resources for stir or greater care following their release. A study completed it 1992 showed that nearly 30 percent of mentally ill inmates released commit another act within four months of release (Treatment Advocacy Center, 1999). For many, this recidivism rate is due to a lack of medications necessary to maintain a stable mental health condition. In addition, many of these individuals find themselves homeless following release, which further limits their efficacy to receive further treatment (Ditton, 1999).It is clear that, although the current criminal justice system certainly attempts to care for the mentally ill, more needs to be done to meet these individuals are continuously cared for. One such step, supported by the National Sheriffs Association, is to consider impertinent laws altering the requirements for mental ill treatment. The NSA suggests laws which would allow treatment based on a need for treatment, rather than simply a show of dangerousness. The NSA in like manner supports measures to allow a court order to assist in outpatient treatment of individuals in the community who need such treatment, but refuse it (Faust, 2003). Many studies have shown that mentally ill individuals often are not aware of their illness and thus, refuse treatment despite their clear need for such measures (Teplin and Abram, 2000). According to a long term study supported by the NSA, long term treatment combined with snatch outpatient services reduced rearrest by nearly 74 percent (Faust, 2003).Further, change magnitude the approachability of community services following release has shown to be an effective measure in controlling the issue of mentally ill inmates upon their release. In Cook County , Illinois, case concern for released inmates is provided by the Thresholds Jail Program. The individuals of Thresholds provide 7 day a week case management for as long as the member needs assistance, and even searches the streets for those individuals who are homeless at the time of release. This allegiance has resulted in an 80 percent reduction in the need for hospitalization or incarceration of released inmates. Funded through the Illinois Office of amiable Health, the program costs $25 a day, in comparison to $70 a day for incarceration, or $500 a day for hospitalization (Thresholds, 2006).Additionally, ensuring mental health screening measures, improving personnel training, and providing subordinate mental health staff in all criminal justice systems, including local jails, would also help to decrease the issues related to the mentally ill within the system. In Ohio, where such measures have been implemented, there has been a dramatic increase in the care of the mentally i ll. Reports show less mentally ill prisoner abuse, little punishments for mold infractions, and an overall increase in inmate mental health. Even further, recidivism rates of the mentally ill in Ohio have move nearly 80 percent (Kaufman, 1999).Deinstitutionalization had drastic effects on the future of the mentally ill in America. Unfortunately, the criminal justice system has become a renewal warehouse for the mentally ill, providing basic housing and medication for these individuals only for the duration of confinement. erstwhile released, and even in some smaller prison systems, the inmate is left without adequate mental health treatment or medication, resulting in an endless spiral of illness and incarceration that is costing billions of dollars a year, and the lives of many mentally ill individuals. By creating new laws which allow treatment based on need, utilizing existing community resources on release, and increasing the knowledge and awareness of such issues within t he personnel of the criminal justice system, these individuals can become productive members of society at a far lower cost, creating a better situation for all involved.