Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System - 1264 Words

Psychological disorders are common in the United States and worldwide. The National institute of mental Health discovered that, â€Å"An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.† Having an uncle who was diagnosed with Schizophrenia in 2003 has changed the way I see people with mental illnesses. After reading and watching the documentary about prisoners who have to undergo medication just to live a â€Å"normal† life has given me inspiration to come up with a few ways that will help our justice system deal with these sorts of individuals. While researchers are trying to come up with different medical measures to cure these diseases we as individuals can implement some procedures to help and support mental patients. We were asked to watch a documentary filmed by PBS called, A World Seldom Seen. In this documentary they followed incarcerated, mental illness prisoners as they were released from jail/prison. PBS followed six men on their journey adapting to life outside of the barbed wired fence that surrounded the place they once called â€Å"home†. The six men consisted of; Jerry Tharp, Michael Grissett, Lynn Moore, Benny Anthony, William Stokes, and Keith Williams. These man all contained similar conditions, they were ex-cons who suffered from a mental illness. â€Å"No, No I don’t think I’m mentally ill.† â€Å"I think I have a spiritual illness†¦ Maybe a spiritual insanity.† This is a statementShow MoreRelatedEssay about Prevalence of Mental Illness in our Criminal Justice System2057 Words   |  9 Pages The Prevalence of Mental Illness in our Criminal Justice System Introduction Mental Illness has been prevalent all throughout our history from Isaac Newton to Abraham Lincoln to Sylvia Plath and so on. These illnesses can be as minor as a slight bipolar disorder or as severe as schizophrenia. In recent years, mental illnesses are becoming more prevalent in our criminal justice systems than anywhere else. Mental illness is becoming an association with crime and based on the information that hasRead MoreCriminalization Of The Mentally Ill1486 Words   |  6 Pagespersons within the prison system, it is important to know the history of mental illness in the prison system. In1841, Dorothea Dix began her Asylum Movement. She saw how deplorable the conditions were for mentally ill inmates in the prison system and insisted on change. The mental ill inmates were treated very poorly, being beaten, starved, and sexually abused. Dix brought her findings to the legislature of Massachusetts and funds were then set aside to expand the mental hospital in Worcester. ThisRe ad MoreThe Medicalization of Deviance and Overview of Mental Health Courts1716 Words   |  7 Pagesexpanded as medicine has become the main response to deviance through the use of therapeutic social control. Medicalization is referenced to in criminal justice as one of the ways of explaining deviance and is used to determine the responsibility of an offender. Deviance characterizes behaviors and actions that violate social norms and is seen as having an illness or a disease needing treatment. Therapeutic social control uses medicine and science as a treatment of deviance. Medicalization of devianceRead MoreThe Mental Impairment And Unfitness Act1285 Words   |  6 PagesThe 1997 Mental Impairment and Unfitness Act has been effective in helping courts to determine persons to place on supervision. However, the determination of whether the policy’s goals are being accomplished in relatively difficult because a huge number of mentally ill offenders are being downgraded to extended status during custodial supervision orders. Moreover, offenders who have been released into the community’s care have been granted such measures through revocation of supervision ordersRead MoreHow Crimes Involving The Mentally Ill1056 Words   |  5 PagesCrimes linked to a mental disorder are seen to be abnormal from the established norms in society. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, a mental illness is a condition that impacts a person s thinking, feeling or mood and may affect their ability to relate to others and function on a daily ba sis.1 These variations often cause deviations from accepted behaviors. Behavior that is said to be not normal often ends up being linked to a crime. Rates of those with mental illnesses is 4-6Read MoreMental Disorders Within The Criminal Population1357 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Mental illness has always had its place in history. For the people in today’s society, mental disorders are much easily treated allowing for a more normal living. Yet, not all individuals are able to be diagnosed with such disorders often causing negative behaviors. For low level offenders this is often the case. Nearly 20 percent of state and local jail detainees have a history of mental disorders; this percetage can increase considering that about 61.5 million adults are affectedRead MoreDiversion Programmes And Access Of Mental Health Facilities1106 Words   |  5 PagesSolutions Diversion Programmes and Access to Mental Health Facilities The huge barrier to accessing mental institutions is due to the lack of available beds for the amount of patients which require treatment. Fortunately the suggestion of increasing the number of mental hospital beds is currently being considered by the Mental health Commission (19- 47). Currently Australia is experiencing the situation whereby patients are diverted from mental health facilities into prisons. In order to correctRead MoreThe Issues Of The Criminal Justice System Essay1647 Words   |  7 Pagespeople who suffer from mental illness being placed in jails instead of receiving the necessary treatment they need. The number of inmates serving time in jail or prison who suffer from mental illness continues to rise. In 2015 the Bureau of Justice reported that sixty five percent of state prisoners and fourth five percent of federal prisoners suffered from mental conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Individuals who suffer from these problems require special mental health treatment forRead MoreThe Death Of Christopher Lopez918 Words   |  4 Pagesissue in a broken criminal justice system. Diagnosed mentally ill patients should not be in prison, they need help that only a mental health facility can offer them. There is a difference between bei ng mentally ill and being a criminal. It is no secret that the state has used the prison system as a dumping ground for the mentally ill. Common sense would lead an observer to conclude that a prison environment is not the best place for a person who is suffering from mental illness. This issue has gottenRead MoreMental Health Issues Are Treated Fairly By The Criminal Justice System1650 Words   |  7 PagesThis assignment will examine if individuals with mental health issues are treated fairly by the Criminal Justice System, taking into account the provisions of the Mental Health Act, the roles of professionals within it and the development of how people with mental health disorders are, and have historically been, viewed in society. Individuals with mental illnesses were initially segregated or incarcerated. The West has seen mental health views change as society has developed and medicine advanced