Mental Health Treatment Of Mentally Ill Essay - 1542 Words

Deinstitutionalization, which occurred in the latter half of the twentieth century cause adequate mental health services to be insufficient for the mentally ill population. Mentally ill individuals were send back to society despite of their prevailing circumstances. The lack of assistance made mentally ill individuals to commit a high percentage of crimes due to their state of mind. Mentally ill individuals who had committed crimes were being incarcerated instead of forcing them to receive mental health treatment. According to Schneider (2008) the percentage of mentally ill entering the Criminal Justice System has increased 10 percent per year over the last decades. The rapid increase of mentally disorder inmates has caused prisons to obtain the responsibility for mentally ill individuals and provide them with basic mental health services. However, prisons are not providing the adequate mental health treatment which in result causes mentally ill individuals to continue with their ins ane behavior after prison time. The recidivism rate is higher than 50 percent among the mentally ill prisoners who are released (Collins, 2015). The revolving-door- like fashion system which causes mentally ill inmates to return to prison indicates that the need to provide services outside of those institutions for offenders is necessary. Mentally ill individuals have continuously increased in prison population because courts have been implementing the idea that criminals should receiveShow MoreRelatedThe Shutdown Of Public Mental Health1614 Words   |  7 Pageshave proven that the shutdown of various mental health facilities across the nation has caused a dramatic increase in the number of incarcerations for people who suffer from mental illness. In 2006, the Bureau of Justice Statistics calculated that there were approximately 705,600 mentally ill adults incarcerated in state prisons, 78,800 mentally ill adults incarcerated in federal prisons, and 479,900 mentally ill adults inc arcerated in local jails (â€Å"Mentally Ill†). In response to the increase in theRead MoreMental Illness Of The Mentally Ill On Deinstitutionalization1514 Words   |  7 PagesMental illness in America has become an increasingly popular topic of discussion. Rather than being placed in hospitals for treatment, mentally ill individuals are being placed into correctional facilities for their actions. Persons with serious mental illness (SMI) such as bi-polar disorder, severe depression, schizophrenia and etc. have trouble within society. Many lack income and stable living arrangements to be able to succeed in the community. Side effects of their illness can enable them toRead MoreThe Community Mental Health Centers Act Of 1963 Closed State Psychiatric Hospitals1191 Words   |  5 PagesMany years ago, mental illness was viewed as a demonic possession or a religious punishment. In the 18th century, the attitudes towards mental illness were negative and persistent. This negativ ity leads to the stigmatization and confinement of those who were mentally ill. The mentally ill were sent to mental hospitals that were unhealthy and dangerous. A push in the mid 1950s for deinstitutionalization began because of activists lobbying for change. Dorothea Dix was one of these activists that helpedRead MoreThe Massachusetts Mental Health System1371 Words   |  6 PagesThe Massachusetts’ mental health system is a broad system consisting of public and private institutions, health insurance, laws and public policies. The Department of Mental Health (DMH) is a core part of the Massachusetts’ mental health system. This state run organization was put in place to ensure mental health services to the mentally ill and to fund research aimed at finding the causes of mental health. ( dept mental health info)Due to the deinstitutionalization process beginning in 1955, whenRead MoreThe Death Of Christopher Lopez918 Words   |  4 PagesA lawsuit has been filed over the death of Christopher Lopez who was a diagnosed mentally ill inmate. On March 17, 2013 Lopez died while incarcerated in the San Carlos Correctional Facility. Lopez died on a concrete floor struggling to breathe while guards watched through the food slot to his cell. The reality of it which is why this is beyond frustrating and unacceptable in America is because Lopez s was a schizophrenic. Lopez was given a psychotropic drug to deal with his schizophrenia. LopezRead MoreMental Illness Within The Prison System928 Words   |  4 Pageswork to deal with mental health inmates. Often hotly debated, many search for ways to work with this growing population. Glaze and Bonczar (2009) estimate around 2.3 million people are incarcerated within the US and of those, 20 percent suffer from some form of mental disorder. Even with such a high number, the rate of mental illnesses within the prison system is on the climb. Many of these inmates will remain incarcerated and receive little to no treatment for their mental issues. This essayRead MoreEssay on Prisoners and The Development of Severe Mental Illness1375 Words   |  6 PagesThe vast majority of prisoners who suffer from severe mental illness are not receiving the proper mental health treatment necessary. The lack of attention allocated to the sanity of prisoners with mental illness is a haunting reality given that these people eventually return to the free world following their time in prison. Due to the punitive tendencies of the prison system, prison will likely only exacerbate peoples preexisting mental illnesses, making them susceptible to recidivism, or furtherRead MoreThe Impact Of Mental Illnesses . Mental Illnesses Have1557 Words   |  7 PagesImpact of Mental Illnesses Mental Illnesses have plagued our society for centuries. In fact, it is a more common disease than people realize, â€Å"Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences mental illness in a given year.† (Nami, org). Despite the prevalence of mental illnesses, the stigmas associated with them are still very strong to this day, this is a result of the deinstitutionalization of mental healthcare facilities. Many Americans who suffer from mental IllnessRead MoreHow Crimes Involving The Mentally Ill1056 Words   |  5 Pages How Crimes Involving the Mentally Ill Are Handled Introduction: Crimes 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 basis.1 These variations often cause deviations from accepted behaviors. Behavior that is said to be not normal oftenRead MoreThe Treatment Of The Mentally Ill1581 Words   |  7 Pagesof dealing with the mentally ill by hiding those plagued, away in a prison cell to be forgotten. Despite the success of Dorothea Dix in solving the problems with adverse conditions in the prison system, we have come full circle and are currently back where we started over a century ago. There has been so much focus put on housing the mentally ill, we have all but forgotten about any type of treatment plans to help the overall growing problem. The handling of the mentally ill in the prison system