Mental Health and Prisons - Free Essay Example

Mental health disorders in correctional facilities have continuously increased more than other illnesses in the general population (Gonzalez & Connell, 2016). In the United States, correctional facilities are often regarded as the largest provider of mental health services. A substantial part of the prison population lacks access to mental health disorder treatment. The absence of treatment is somewhat attributed to screening measures that do not lead to treatment by healthcare providers in prisons. Despite the mandate from courts directing access to adequate healthcare in reformatories, the access to health and mental healthcare by the inmates has been sporadic. Mostly, the decisions of treatment often lie on the limited available correctional management, resources, and public correctional treatment support. The absence of treatment has the possibility to affect both recidivism and healthcare costs after release from prison.

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Mental health conditions occur at higher rates worldwide with over 450 million people estimated to have suffered mental or behavioral disorders (Yi et al., 2016). The high rates of mental health in prisons are disproportionately related to various factors; lack of adequate access to mental health services in numerous nations, care and rehabilitation, failure to the promotion of treatment, the general intolerance of disturbing behavior or difficulties in many societies, and the widespread misconception that every individual suffering from a mental disorder is dangerous to the general public. Most of mental illnesses may occur to an individual before admission to prison and might as well be exacerbated by the stress and burnout of getting imprisoned. It may also develop as a result of torture or the violation of human rights or as a consequence of the prevailing health conditions during the imprisonment.

Prisons are not good places for individuals with mental disorders. Many factors present in numerous prisons worldwide contribute to negative health impacts among individuals with mental illnesses. These factors include but are not limited to the lack of privacy, enforced solitude, violence, overcrowding, isolation from social networks, inadequate healthcare services, and lack of meaningful activities. In most cases, prisons are utilized as dumping grounds for individuals with mental illnesses. People with mental illness are unsuitably locked up in jails due to a lack of psychological health services. However, individuals who have committed minor offenses like substance abuse disorder or people who are partly affected by mental disorders should not be sent to prisons but rather be treated for these conditions. Taking mentally challenged individuals in prisons makes the disorders to continue be unnoticed, untreated, or undiagnosed.

People affected with mental disorders are always exposed to discrimination and stigma. In many societies, these individuals face stigma, discrimination, and marginalization in the health, social, and economic spheres because the available limited resources are wasted on interventions and services that are both ineffective and expensive (Yi et al., 2016). These interventions and services hardly meet the needs associated with the disorders. Psychiatric prison hospitals built separately are not cost-effective since the facilities are expensive to manage. They also have limited capacity, they leave the individuals with persistent and severe stigma and are linked to low rates of release as well. Many psychiatric prison hospitals conduct their operations outside the Department of health with the responsibility of controlling health intervention qualities. Additionally, there lack of evidence that the treatment outcomes are improved by these expensive hospitals. Rather, these hospitals might put prisoners in danger of human rights violations.

People with mental health conditions who do not get treated might be at higher risk for the treatment failure of correctional rehabilitation and future recidivism among felons after release. The rates of recidivism among individuals who previously faced incarceration are between 50% and 250 higher for individuals with mental health disorders compared to those with no kind of psychological well-being disorder irrespective of the diagnosis (Gonzalez & Connell, 2016). The lack of adequate options for treatment in numerous prison settings is reflected by the overwhelming number of rule violations, disciplinary challenges, and physical assaults for people with mental disorders. The assessed representative sample of prisoners in the United States indicated that most prisoners even the ones with other illnesses like chronic disorders do not get adequate access to healthcare.

The existing strong relationship between criminal behavior and mental health in the public health system has a significant deal to benefit from improved health treatments among inmates with mental health disorders. Particularly, the costs associated with the increased levels of recidivism should be reduced. Responding to mental health issues in prison is necessary due to the benefits associated with it. For prisoners, addressing the needs of psychological health will improve the well-being and life quality of both felons affected with mental illnesses and the entire prison population. Stigma and discrimination can be reduced when the problems faced by prisoners having mental illnesses are addressed. Additionally, responding to the needs associated with mental health disorders among prisoners can reduce the rate of recidivism as this will enable the adjustment of community life.

There exists a continuous interchange between the community and prison. Therefore, addressing prison health cannot be done in isolation from the health of the entire community. The health of prisoners must be considered as part of the general public. The incidents of reoffending can be minimized when the needs of mental health among the prisoners are addressed. It can also help to divert individuals affected with mental illnesses away from prison into rehabilitation and treatment and also contribute to reducing the high cost of prisons. The working environment of the prisons is always difficult and demanding at all levels of staff. The prison staff is always faced with great demands. The unrecognized and untreated mental disorders among prisoners can complicate and negatively impact the environment in the prisons. A prison that promotes the mental health of the inmates and is also responsive to their needs is most likely to be a workplace that encourages the general inspiration and psychological health of prison staff. Therefore, they should be the central goal of good management in prisons.

The public health goals that set good management within the prisons should comprise detection, proper treatment, and prevention (Galanek, 2015). Countries with limited resources can also take appropriate steps that can help improve the mental health of the inmates as well as the prison staff. The steps can be adapted to the economic, political, and social context within every nation. Because the criminal justice system focuses on punishment and deterrence rather than care and treatment, the prison has been termed as the wrong place for individuals who require mental health treatment. The introduction of the legislation may be appropriate if it allows for the transfer of prisoners in psychiatric hospital facilities. This can be introduced in all phases of unlawful accounts such as trial, arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment. The introduction of mechanisms to avert people with mental illnesses charged with committing minor offenses towards services related to mental health before reaching prison will guarantee them the desired treatment. It will also help in reducing the prison population.

Education and information should be given to the prisoners and their families on the nature of mental illnesses. The approach will aid in minimizing discrimination and stigma thus promoting mental health. The provision of information to these individuals will assist them in better realizing their emotional responses to incarceration and offer practical approaches on how to reduce the adverse impacts on their mental conditions. They will also realize when and how to seek help. The mental health needs of the prisoners and the entire prison staff should be encompassed by the national mental health policies (Galanek, 2015). Prisoners should be regarded as stakeholders whenever a mental health policy is being developed.

All prisoners regardless of their mental health status deserve the right to be treated with respect and humanely for their inherent dignity as human beings. likewise, the conditions of prison confinement should conform to the standards of international human rights. The legislation for mental health can be a powerful tool to safeguard the rights of individuals with mental illnesses. However, mental health laws in many nations are outdated and fail to respond to the needs of mental health among the inmates. Development of legal provisions which mental health needs can promote prisoners’ rights. These rights are not limited to; protection from violence and discrimination, the right to quality care and treatment, confidentiality, to protection from torture, and degrading and inhumane treatment.

Legislation should provide procedural protections to prisoners with mental disorders within the criminal justice system. Through legislation, the protection of prisoners and other basic rights such as access to open-air and adequate food, contact with the family, acceptable living conditions, and meaningful activities can contribute to the protection of mental health. The establishment of independent mechanisms of inspection through the legislation can help to monitor prisoners and other individuals affected with mental health disorders. Several challenges can be successfully dealt with by bringing appropriate ministries and several stakeholders together to discuss mental health needs in prisons and to plan an inter-sectional response.

References

Galanek, J. D. (2015). The Cultural Construction of Mental Illness in Prison: A Perfect Storm of Pathology. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry, 37(1), 195–225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11013-012-9295-6

Gonzalez, J. M. R., & Connell, N. M. (2016). Mental Health of Prisoners: Identifying Barriers to Mental Health Treatment and Medication Continuity. American Journal of Public Health, 104(12), 2328–2333. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2014.302043

Yi, Y., Turney, K., & Wildeman, C. (2016). Mental Health Among Jail and Prison Inmates. American Journal of Men's Health, 11(4), 900–909. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988316681339