Connection Between Crime and Mental Health
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Mental illness is highly prevalent in jails and prisons within the united states. The criminal justice system is considered a harsh place for individuals and reports indicate that prisons and jails in 44 states have a higher population of individuals with mental illnesses as compared to those in the largest psychiatric hospital in the same state (Okkels et al., 2018). The prevalence of mental health issues is high in the criminal justice system with sixty-four percent of jail inmates and fifty-six percent of those imprisoned in state prisons having been diagnosed with a mental health problem. The rising number of people suffering from serious mental illnesses within the criminal justice system is due to the extreme and harsh control policies, unreasonable conditions the inmates are exposed to, and draconian drug and crime laws through which individuals are arrested and incarcerated.
The three most common serious mental illnesses experienced by inmates and prisoners are major depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder (Sugie & Turney, 2017). Major depression is also termed as brief psychotic disorder and may make the inmate have periods of psychosis or withdrawal. It is the leading cause of suicide in inmates and prisoners. Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder where the individual affected has extreme cases of happiness and anger or psychosis. In these extreme cases, inmates tend to do things that may harm themselves or others without much control of their actions. Schizophrenic inmates experience hallucinations and delusions that affect their daily activities. These diseases may cause erratic behaviours imprisoners and inmates, hence, get them locked up in solitary confinement (Okkels et al., 2018).
The criminal justice system has caused mental illness in a high number of inmates. Rather than being subjected to the harsh control policies and measures in prisons and jails, they should be sent to psychiatric hospitals for therapy and other forms of mental treatment (Sugie & Turney, 2017). For individuals with mental disorders before incarceration, psychiatric hospitals would also be a good option. Proper laws and policies should guide how to control within the criminal justice system are carried out.
References
Okkels, N., Kristiansen, C. B., Munk-Jørgensen, P., & Sartorius, N. (2018). Urban mental health: challenges and perspectives. Current opinion in psychiatry, 31(3), 258-264.
Sugie, N. F., & Turney, K. (2017). Beyond incarceration: Criminal justice contact and mental health. American Sociological Review, 82(4), 719-743.