Month: February 2019

The number of prisoners that suffer from mental illnesses is becoming extremely prevalent in prisons across the United States. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than half of all inmates suffer from mental health issues. In fact, since 1998, the number of prisoners with a mental illness has quadrupled to around 1.25 million. 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. This statistic prevails in 44 states where prisons hold more mentally ill people than mental hospitals. 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.

Those who suffer from mental illness are two to four times more likely to be incarcerated; however, with proper treatment, this can be prevented. Many of the crimes mentally ill people are arrested for are considered “crimes of survival” which are related to homelessness or lack of resources. These individuals are often sentenced short sentences for minor crimes; however, mentally ill inmates often end up staying in prison longer than other prisoners. 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. 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. The main reason for this extended prison time is the inability for mentally-ill prisoners to understand and follow 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. According to a study, mentally-ill inmates are more than twice as likely to receive infractions for breaking prison rules. Oftentimes, due to these behavioral issues, many mentally-ill inmates, approximately 55% to 76%, end up in solitary confinement.

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. Without the proper treatment, these individuals often end up getting re-arrested or homeless. 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.

Not only is it difficult to provide proper care to mentally ill inmates, but it is also very expensive. It costs $15 billion per year of tax dollars to house and provide care to inmates who have mental illnesses. 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. 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. A major component of this increase annual cost is attributed to the cost of medications. 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. Sadly, suicide is extremely common among inmates who have a psychiatric illness. 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.

Within the past two decades, correctional facilities have been evolving to provide better care to those suffering from mental illnesses. In Estelle v. Gamble and Ruiz v. 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. 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. Imprisoning individuals who have mental illness places a burden on the individual, prison system, and federal and state budgets. It is clear that something must be done to fix this prevalent issue and mistreatment of those who are in dire need of help.

 

 

Works Cited

Carroll, Heather. “Serious Mental Illness Prevalence in Jails and Prisons.” Treatment Advocacy Center, Sept. 2016, www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/evidence-and-research/learn-more-about/3695.

“Criminalization of Mental Illness.” Mental Illness Policy Org, mentalillnesspolicy.org/consequences/criminalization.html.

Fellner, Jamie. A Corrections Quandary: Mental Illness and Prison Rules , 2006, www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_material/A%20Corrections%20Quandary.pdf .

“NAMI.” NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness, www.nami.org/learn-more/public-policy/jailing-people-with-mental-illness.

In my previous post, I touched on the issue of criminal recidivism in the United States. Criminal recidivism is a broad term that refers to the relapse into criminal behavior after a prisoner has been released. According to the National Institute of Justice, within three years of being released, almost 70 percent of prisoners were rearrested, and 75 percent within five years of being released. The United States has one of the highest recidivism rates in the world. In recent years, the Justice System has pushed to solve the front end of the problem, getting criminals in jail, but it has failed to deal with the back end of the problem, preventing these criminals from committing additional crimes once they are released. This situation fails to make total sense and is nothing but a temporary fix because ninety-five percent of prisoners will eventually be released back into communities and continue to commit crimes. According to Atlas Corps, the main explanation to this issue is that prisoners have a hard time adjusting back to normal life, getting a job with a criminal record, and reestablishing relationships.  The criminal recidivism statistics signal that there is an evident flaw in our prison system that seems to prevent prisoners from readjusting into society after being released

On the contrary, in this post I want to discuss a specific country’s prison system that has been deemed successful. Norway’s prison system is almost the polar opposite of America’s in many ways. Compared to 707 people for every 100,000 in the United States, Norway’s incarceration rate of 75 per 100,000 people seems minimal. The max prison sentence is minimized to 21 years and life sentenced are not permitted. Additionally, Norway’s recidivism rate is one of the lowest in the world at 20%. Based on these statistics, it’s clear Norway is doing something right, and that something is called restorative justice. According to the Center for Justice and Reconciliation, restorative justice is “a theory of justice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused by criminal behavior… best accomplished through cooperative processes that include all stakeholders.” Norway uses this concept within its prisons to rehabilitate prisoners rather than punish them.  Restorative justice responds through a crime through a three step process:

1. identifying and taking steps to repair harm
2. involving all stakeholders
3. transforming the traditional relationship between communities and their governments in responding to crime.

In 2010, Halden Prison, a maximum security prison, was labeled the most humane prison in the world. If you are only familiar with the interior of American prisons, you might have difficulty identifying Halden prison as even as a prison. The prison tries to maintain a “normalcy” atmosphere, so there are no bars on the windows, a full kitchen for the inmates, and a healthy and friendly relationship between the guard and inmates. A cell room is comparable to a dorm room with a comfortable bed, a TV, and a desk. The inmates socialize with one another in the rec room, have access to a gym, and prepare and eat dinner together. They are also given time to worship and strengthen their personal skills. Each inmate is assigned an occupation within the prison to continue and improve their responsibilities and worth ethic. The prison believes in the philosophy that “Allow people, even dangerous people, to feel like humans and they’ll behave more civilly than if treated like forces of evil”

Now, let’s compare this prison to a super-max American prison known for house America’s most dangerous criminals. A standard cell in ADX Florence is closet sized room with a shower set on timer, a 4-inch window, a toilet and sink, and a bed bolted into the ground. All but one hour of the prisoner’s day is spent locked up in their room. Those who are well behaved are granted two hours per day to work out in cages located outside. The majority of the 422 inmates in the prison are serving life sentences.  Those who do get released are almost guaranteed a resentence due to their lacking ability to readjust to societal norms. Criminologist, Bob Cameron, believes that prisons should have five goals: retribution, incapacitation, deterrence, restoration, and rehabilitation. Could the Norwegian prison system appear to luxurious and lax? Many Americans would think so, but it is the overall idea of rehabilitation first that Americans must look to consider.

 

Works Cited

“Recidivism in the United States – An Overview.” Atlas Corps, atlascorps.org/recidivism-united-states-overview/.

“Recidivism.” National Institute of Justice, www.nij.gov/topics/corrections/recidivism/pages/welcome.aspx.

Sterbenz, Christina. “Why Norway’s Prison System Is so Successful.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 11 Dec. 2014, www.businessinsider.com/why-norways-prison-system-is-so-successful-2014-12.

“Tutorial: Introduction to Restorative Justice.” Restorative Justice, restorativejustice.org/restorative-justice/about-restorative-justice/tutorial-intro-to-restorative-justice/#sthash.RXJJ7xUn.dpbs.

Weller, Chris. “Photos of Maximum-Security Prisons in Norway and the US Reveal the Extremes of Prison Life.” World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/11/photos-of-maximum-security-prisons-in-norway-and-the-us-reveal-the-extremes-of-prison-life.