- Considering the demand of the citizens, America has toughened its stand on the criminals and put them into prisons. However, this step has caused a different problem. The American prisons are overcrowded and the government faces the ire of judiciary as well as several human rights organization that demand a human treatment for the prisoners. An easy option before the American government is to privatize the prisons to provide the prisoners a comfortable life. The american government is exploring every option to look into the probaility of privatizing the prisons.
Privatization of prisons does not mean that the government is free from all its responsibilities. Prisonsers are liability of the state and a private company can never replace the government. Private companies can only provide their services, facilities to the prisoners and manage day to day affairs of the prisons. These companies are entitled to get money from the government in lieu of their management and services. There are several states in the United States of America that have hired the services of private companies to manae their prisons and prisoners.
The arrangement of irin private companies to manage prisons is merely an economic step that save public money. The administrative liability of the american government ios always there and there are no chances that a government can escape from its liabilities. The state is dutybound to look after the people and helping in smooth operation of all institutions. A state may take help of private companies in order to manage prisos but is ultimately liable for the lives and security of all the prisoners (Cole and Gertz, 2012).
Statistics suggest that it is cost effective to hand over the prisons to the private sector. Several examples suggest that private prisons provide more services and security at a comparatively lower cost. US Corrections Corporation is a private company that manages the prisons in an effective way. Corrections Corporation of America also manages prisons. These companies provide their services at lower costs than the government. The government spends more than $ 50 on a prisoner every day while these private companies provide prison services at $ 25 to $ 30.
Private companies recover this cost from the prisoners. These companies employ the prisoners in different tasks. The private companies use these prisoners as human resource and exploit their skills and labor. Prisoners work and get money for their work while the companies sell prison made products in the market and earn ample benefits. This system is beneficial for the prisoners, the company that manages the whole affair and it also benefits the government as the government gets taxes from the prisoner’s income.
Since this is a sensitive issue and governments hesitate in taking decisions, otherwise this is a good arrangement were every participant is a beneficiary. Government should and over the prisons to the private companies without any delay. There are certain reservations that some people as well as some organizations keep raising about the issue regarding the safety and inhuman treatment of the prisoners. These organizations argue that the state cannot function as a private company. ACLU has always opposed such ideas and keep saying to provide the prisoners a good life and human treatment.
On the other hand, there are a number of people who argue that the prisons should be handed over to the private companies and there is no reason why the expenses of the criminals should be borne by taxpayers. These people argue that if there are private companies that can take care of the prisoners and save the public money, the government should take the services of these companies without delay of a moment.
- Mental illness is a serious issue and there is a sense of crisis in the society about the mental issues. People have a different opinion about this issue and they treat the mentally ill people in a bizarre manner. People do not consider mental illness with a sympathetic approach but they take it as something that is despicable. Mental illness is a mental disorder that may affect any person but people do not understand it and avoid mental patients instead of showing some sympathy towards them.
Mental illness is not considered as a mental or health related issue but it is considered as a religious problem, personal problem or some kind of curse. Some also consider mental illness as a result of demonic influence. Mental illness has always been misunderstood and mocked by a large number of people. People do not like to be in contact of mental patients or even their family members in several cases.
Institutionalization model was the most effective method of treating people suffering from mental illnesses. In this traditional and the most effective system a number of patients used to stay in a facility where they were treated by experts. These patients were in access of better health services by the professional staffs. They were taken better care of health, regular activities and treatment. Deinstitutionalization has affected the issue in an adverse manner and contributed in our problems.
Deinstitutionalization has created several complexities in the traditional system. The traditional system was facing several problems due to lack of resources. Government facilities were crowded and patients were not given that good care due to large number of mental patients. The demand of Deinstitutionalization was raised by various sections of the society and it was accepted by the government. This was also regarded as a process of care by the community instead of the mental asylum staffs. The new method of treating the mentally sick people was adopted widely but there are some people who still believe that the traditional method was comparatively better.
Today people realize that the traditional method was much better and deinstitutionalization was an unnecessary effort that was implemented without any prescience. Things were organized in the traditional way of caring mentally ill people but in this way, nothing seems organized. Loneliness, poor physical health, bad living conditions and poverty have further worsened things for those who have been shifted to these so called community care of mental illness.
Mental illness should be treated with utmost sincerity. The illness should be diagnosed without any delay and once the illness is diagnosed, the treatment should be started without any delay. Proper diagnose is very important and the same should be done by an expert otherwise taking wrong medicines may create different other problems. The nature of the treatment and the medicines come next and they should be given to the patient on a regular basis. This is the first step in the treatment of the mentally ill patient.
The patient should be stable and free from day to day needs. He should be given proper care in terms of food, sleep and shelter. Wherever a patient resides, should be taken well care of is laundry, and all other needs. A patient should feel comfortable in order to improve the mental condition in a better way. Second thing that is very important is the trust between the patient and the psychiatrist. This relation is the backbone that works in the favor of the patient. This trust is more effective for the patient than the medicines.
The relationship between the patient and is other caretakers is also very important aspect of this issue. A patient should always feel that people trust him and he is getting better. He should always feel comfortable with the people who live around him. A patient should be given treatment in a familiar atmosphere where he knows some people and sees them regularly. It makes him comfortable and he feels good.
There are several other mechanism to treat the mental patients in an effective manner and community care is one of them. A patient feels very comfortable if he resides with his own family. Living with family members and seeing familiar faces makes the patient confident and he feels very comfortable. Mental illness should be effectively treated by an expert. There should be no gap in the treatment and the treatment should involve all the required mechanisms.
References
Cole, G. F., and Gertz, M. G. (2012). The Criminal Justice System: Politics and Policies. USA: Wadsworth Incorporated Fulfillment.
