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.
I had no idea that more than half of prisoners in the U.S. had mental illnesses! I assumed the rate would be higher because they would be more likely to break the law, but that number was much higher than I expected. It is sad to see that there is limited resources and funding to help these people, and hopefully something will change soon.
Hi! This is a really interesting post to read- I like how you talk about topics that most people don’t think about or even believe are important. It seems like there is a flaw in the prison system, but to fix this flaw lots of funds are needed, which are most of the times limited as prisons do not have a really high priority when considering the budget. I wonder though, do these people that have mental illness, do they develop it in prison or before getting into jail?
I cannot believe that more people with mental illnesses are in prison than in mental hospitals! It shows how our society still stigmatizes mental illness and refuses to address it as a major contemporary issue. The hardest part seems to be funding. Citizens will be upset if we increase taxes to pay for treatment, but without some form of increased revenue these issues will go unsolved.
This is an interesting post. I have read before about other prisons in different countries and how they focus more on rehabilitation than punishment. This can be very useful, however there should still be a balance so that prisons are not “luxurious.” Prisoners with mental illnesses may struggle in those environments where they are constantly punished and not given treatment for their illnesses. It does not seem like there is a good solution at this point in time.
I think that the criminalization of the mentally ill is a national tragedy. Much of this started with the closure and downsizing of the state of people from the state hospitals in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The cost in dollars is enormous, these folks are someone’s child, mom, or dad. Then, there are the private prisons that want and do make money off of this population. Major mental illnesses are “no fault” brain disorders. Other brain disorders include Parkinson’s, Dementia, and Alzheimer’s. This makes me sad.
Why is the combined incarceration so low in the 70’s?