Why are the mentally ill behind bars?
The mentally ill are considered a threat to society, especially because of the very nature of possessing the unstable mental stability which could potentially lead this segment of the population to inflict discomfort or harm to themselves and to other people. According to the study made by the Human Rights Watch, the mentally ill are placed behind bars at an increasingly disturbing rate “a consequence of under-funded, disorganized and fragmented community mental health services. Many people with mental illness, particularly those who are poor, homeless, or struggling with substance abuse – cannot get mental health treatment” (Human Rights Watch, 2006, par. 9).
What challenges do the mentally ill present to prison administrators and staff?
The mentally ill who are incarcerated in jail present various problems to administrators and staff such as difficulty in managing (due to inability to adhere to rules and regulations); being exposed to aggressive behavior (through verbal or physical abuse); and manifesting greater preponderances to get into fights and altercations with fellow inmates or prison staff . Likewise, there are also challenges noted in terms of appropriately addressing the appropriate treatment and medications needed for the mentally ill in prisons. As revealed by Jones (2006), “disruptions in treatment and medication may provoke immediate
impacts for the offenders and the jail population” (p. 34). Due to the lack of proper treatment, prison administrators and personnel would have to contend with greater incidences of the following: higher suicide rates for the mentally ill; maintaining personnel who are equipped to handle this particular segment; and providing the most effective intervention that would assist the mentally ill in adjusting, adapting, and potentially correcting and recovering from maladjusted behavior.
What are two or three possible solutions to this problem?
As proposed by Daniel (2007), the possible solutions to address challenges and problems encountered from housing the mentally ill in prisons are as follows: privatize provision of mental health services to qualified and competent vendors; provide acute care services; earmark and design specific programs to focus on preventing suicide; and appropriately provide effective and accurate medications to this particular segment. Privatization means that the care and provision of appropriate interventions and treatment for the mentally ill could be awarded to qualified vendors, whose staff and personnel are duly trained to address the mentally ill. This could actually be more cost effective than training current staff and personnel whose qualifications do not really match the needs and requirements of the addressing health care for the mentally ill inmates.
Likewise, providing care services would effectively meet the needs of mentally ill inmates who could possess serious dilemmas that are potentially dangerous to themselves and to others. As revealed, “the advantages of acute care psychiatric units in prisons include creating a therapeutic milieu consistent with the correctional mission; safe and proper implementation of specialized treatments, such as involuntary medication administrationfor the gravely disabled offender who is noncompliant; and proper implementation of therapeutic restraints and seclusion” .
Finally, integrating measures that aptly include prevention of suicide and providing accurate medications for mentally ill inmates would assist in solving problems related to deaths and recidivism, respectively. Therefore, proper design of policies, procedural guidelines, and intervention strategies should incorporate best practices to accommodate comprehensive and innovative treatment programs to solve challenges and problems associated with the mentally ill prisoners.
References
Daniel, A. (2007). Care of the Mentally Ill in Prisons: Challenges and Solutions. Retrieved from Journal of American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online: http://www.jaapl.org/content/35/4/406.full.pdf+html
Human Rights Watch. (2006, September 6). U.S. Number of Mentally Ill in Prisons Quadrupled. Retrieved from hrw.org: http://www.hrw.org/news/2006/09/05/us-number-mentally-ill-prisons-quadrupled
Jones, C. (2006, May). The Mentally Ill in Jails: Challenges and Recommendations. Retrieved from University of Texas : http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/chasp/publications/downloads/The%20Mentally%20Ill%20in%20Jails%20by%20Crystal%20Jones.pdf
