Rates of crime in the United States have been falling steadily, but stillĬonstitute a serious economic and social challenge. “NAMI.” NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness, and high rates of incarceration impose tremendous costs on society, with lasting negativeĮffects on individuals, families, and communities. A Corrections Quandary: Mental Illness and Prison Rules, 2006. 2016, “Criminalization of Mental Illness.” Mental Illness Policy Org, /consequences/criminalization.html.įellner, Jamie. “Serious Mental Illness Prevalence in Jails and Prisons.” Treatment Advocacy Center, Sept. It is clear that something must be done to fix this prevalent issue and mistreatment of those who are in dire need of help.Ĭarroll, Heather. Imprisoning individuals who have mental illness places a burden on the individual, prison system, and federal and state budgets. However, even after many changes, the prison health care system is far from where it should be, but without sufficient funds, it is nearly impossible to provide the correct care to those who need it. Estelle, the Supreme Court declared that not providing mental care to mentally ill prisoners was cruel and unusual punishment, in addition to, established six criteria that would provide an adequate mental health care system. Within the past two decades, correctional facilities have been evolving to provide better care to those suffering from mental illnesses. Suicide is the number one cause of death in prions, and studies show that up to half of the suicides that occur are committed by those with a mental illness.
Sadly, suicide is extremely common among inmates who have a psychiatric illness. Unfortunately, it is difficult for prisons to aid to their mentally ill inmates because of the large state budget cuts that provide care to mentally ill inmates. A major component of this increase annual cost is attributed to the cost of medications. On an annual basis, the average prisoner costs $22,000 per where whereas a prisoner with a mental illness can cost up to $50,000 a year. In another prison in Florida, it costs $50 more per day to house an inmate with a mental illness compared to one who does not. It costs $15 billion per year of tax dollars to house and provide care to inmates who have mental illnesses. Not only is it difficult to provide proper care to mentally ill inmates, but it is also very expensive. Additionally, some individuals purposely commit crimes that will put them back in prison, as that is the only way they will receive any treatment for their condition. Without the proper treatment, these individuals often end up getting re-arrested or homeless. Oftentimes, many individuals’ mental health conditions get worse during their time in prison, and once they are released they have difficulty gaining access to healthcare and needed treatment. Oftentimes, due to these behavioral issues, many mentally-ill inmates, approximately 55% to 76%, end up in solitary confinement. According to a study, mentally-ill inmates are more than twice as likely to receive infractions for breaking prison rules. Correctional officers treat all prisoners the same, no matter if they are mentally-ill or not which many times creates problems for those who do have mental illnesses. The main reason for this extended prison time is the inability for mentally-ill prisoners to understand and follow prison rules. At another prison located in New York, the average stay for all inmates is 42 days, whereas for mentally ill inmates it is 215 days. At the Orange County Jail in Florida, mentally ill prisoners stay an average of twenty-five more days than those who with no mental illness. These individuals are often sentenced short sentences for minor crimes however, mentally ill inmates often end up staying in prison longer than other prisoners. Many of the crimes mentally ill people are arrested for are considered “crimes of survival” which are related to homelessness or lack of resources. Those who suffer from mental illness are two to four times more likely to be incarcerated however, with proper treatment, this can be prevented.
The mental illnesses that are commonly found among prisoners are those that affect mood, thinking, or behavior such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
This statistic prevails in 44 states where prisons hold more mentally ill people than mental hospitals. Prisons are now often referred as “the new asylums.” Approximately 20% or about 383,000 inmates have mental illnesses which is 10 times more than those admitted in state psychiatric hospitals. In fact, since 1998, the number of prisoners with a mental illness has quadrupled to around 1.25 million. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than half of all inmates suffer from mental health issues. The number of prisoners that suffer from mental illnesses is becoming extremely prevalent in prisons across the United States.
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