...Assignment 2: Treatment of Mentally Ill Prisoners 1.0 The Treatment of Mentally Ill Prisoners The treatment of mentally ill inmates has been not only a public concern, but has also been identified by Canada’s Correctional Investigator, Howard Sapers as an issue of concern in his 2014 report to parliament. Between 1997 and 2007, offenders entering the prison system with a mental disorder grew 71% in men and 61% in women (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2012). The problem at hand is that correctional institutes and their staff are not widely trained to deal with inmates who suffer from mental disorders. The result then, is that use-of-force interventions, and placement in solitary confinement, often for extended periods of time, are used as methods of dealing with unruly behaviours exhibited by these mentally ill offenders. While there are various issues surrounding mental health in the Canadian judicial system, for the purpose of this report, the discussion will be focused around inadequate methods for dealing with behaviours presented by these inmates, namely by use-of-force and solitary confinement 1.1 Use-Of-Force Techniques In Sapers 2014 report, it is reported that “28% of all use of force interventions involved an offender with a mental health concern as identified by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC)” (Ministry of Public Safety, 2014). This is likely due to the fact that mentally ill inmates are more likely to self-harm, have unpredictable behaviour...
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...St. Louis ruled yesterday that officials in Arkansas can force a prisoner on death row to take antipsychotic medication to make him sane enough to execute. Without drugs, the prisoner, Charles Laverne Singleton, could not be put to death under a United States Supreme court decision that prohibits the execution of the insane” (Liptak, p. 1). I agree with this ruling because “Mr. Singleton’s mental health began to deteriorate in 1987” (Liptak, p. 2) after his crime was committed. Therefore, he was of sound mind, tried and convicted of murdering the grocery clerk in 1979. Furthermore, the Arkansas Supreme Court affirmed his conviction. It wasn’t until 1987 when Mr. Singleton began showing signs of mental deterioration. “To what extent can a government take invasive, involuntary action using medical personnel who are sworn to heal, save and treat when the result of their medical application and experience is not healing, treating and saving but instead has the result of causing executions?” (Liptak, p.1). As a future nurse, I ethically am sworn to heal. Understandably, in this situation it can contradict what I stand for. However, I know that treating Mr. Singleton will be my ultimate goal regardless of his death. For example, in the case of a terminal cancer patient, I would not deny medical treatment just because the person will inevitably die. So, in the case of Mr. Singleton, I would not see him as a “prisoner” but as a “patient” and still implement his treatment for mental...
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...Mentally Ill in Prison PSCH/610 Mentally Ill in Prison Abstract The increase in incarcerated individuals with mental illness in the preceding decades has made the prison system a prevalent mental health provider even though they are not prepared or equipped for such task. Prison life is tough on an individual’s mental health; overcapacity, lack of privacy, violent behavior, lack of activity, inadequate health services, seclusion from family and friends, and the insecurity of what life holds after prison contribute to the inmate’s mental health. Inmates whose judgment is altered or impaired by depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other severe mental illnesses are impacted more severely by the tribulations of prison life. Inadequate mental health services is also something mentally ill inmates face, this absconds them undertreated or mistreated. Numerous prisoners do not receive proper psychotropic medication due to the lack of mental health services and care, further impairing their capability to function. The security mission of prisons tends to overlook mental health considerations. Prison rules and codes of demeanor teach staff about security, safety, supremacy, and power. Coordinating the needs of the mentally ill with prison regulations and goals is almost impractical. Factors of the sources and effects of the concern between prison and mental illness will be observed in this research proposal. Reforms will be provided to improve mental health...
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...alcohol addicts or abusers, the emotionally disturbed, mentally retarded, suspected mentally ill, physically handicapped, chronically ill, the disabled or infirm, those with documented custody issues and those with limited academic ability or learning disability “(Prison Glossary)”. With that being said there are many special needs prisoners, one that many people are familiar with are the mentally ill, and substance abusing. There are many other illnesses then obvious ones, some prisoners have physical problems, others have infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, while some have serious substance abuse issues. One special offender no one thinks about is the elderly offenders in 2007 over ten percent of inmates in prisons were 50 years or older and many with serious health problems. Mentally ill and substance abusing prisoners In this paper I will be discussing the two common types of special needs offenders, the mentally ill and the substance abusing offenders. Among the prison population there are mentally ill prisoners, special needs offenders, and substance-abusing offenders. These special offenders affect the jail and prison systems at state and federal levels because they require special attention. If they do not receive special attention like doctor supervision or prescribed medication, they can harm themselves or others, and become sick from substance related illnesses. Mentally ill offenders must have access to mental health therapies...
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...Introduction “More than eighteen states and the Federal Bureau of Prisons operated their prison facilities at more than 100 percent capacity at the end of 2014.” This proves the increasing number of inmates enrolled in prisons is a growing issue. Overcrowding in prisons is caused by extended jail sentences, severe sentencing for drug related offenses, and imprisonment of the mentally ill, which generates inhumane living conditions for inmates. Solutions are relocating drug related offenses and allowing shorter sentences for nonviolent prisoners. Description of Problem Overcrowding in prisons has become a major growing issue in the United States recently. “From 2006 to 2011, prison population grew at 9.5 percent, outpacing the 7 percent growth...
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... Topic: Overcrowded prisons are a problem for many different reasons. Most people are already aware of this problem, either they read it in a newspaper or saw it somewhere on the television. This is not just a local problem, it is almost everywhere. Are there reasons why this continues to happen, and has this situation improved through out the years? Are there things us as a society can do to change overcrowding in prisons? These are questions we should ask ourselves considering tax payers are the people that pay the most for food, shelter, and medical care for all the prisoners that are incarcerated. In the United States prisons the recidivism rate is amazingly high. In 1994, the biggest study of prisoner recidivism that has been ever been completed in the United States proved that, of nearly 300,000 adult prisoners who were released in 15 different states, 67.5 percent were arrested again within three years. (Meditating Behind Bars: How Yoga in Prisons Could Cut Overcrowding) There are many different outlooks on this issue. Some people think it can be fixed, others do not. Some people think over crowding is caused by the prisoner’s environment and other people do not. Just like any other subject, this particular subject can be debated all day. Body:...
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...Mentally ill Offenders Mentally ill Inmates that are held in prison or jails are getting more suicidal thoughts than ever. Just by being there by themselves they drive themselves crazy. Being trapped in those cells make them hallucinate things. A lot of these inmates are being held in solitary confinements, being mistreated, and the population in the jails and prisons are made up of mentally ill offenders. Many of the mentally ill offenders in prisons and jails are being mistreated. A lot of them have experienced shocking, physical and sexual abuse from other prisoners. Many of them across the United States are subjected to routine physical abuse from guards. A lot of these offenders leave sicker than when they entered. From all of these daily abuses a lot of them have died in prison for this cause. What some of these jails do wrong is that they are not required to report the use of force by guards. Inmates are being put in the state psychiatric hospitals due to the mental illness they have. One of the cases that happened in Michigan (2005) was this man...
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...Garland CJA/234 September 21st, 2013 Jeffery Newton Special Needs Prisoner The American penal system is comprised of every element of society imaginable. There are people from all walks of life being held in one prison or another across our great country for crimes they’ve committed or allegedly committed against mankind. Be it at the state, federal or county level, the U.S. prison system does not discriminate with regards to those who are physically challenged. Be it a prisoner who is mentally challenged or one whom is confined to a wheelchair, if they have committed a crime and are found guilty of such, they will be sentenced to facility that under most circumstances are equipped to handle prisoners with special needs. Take for example the criminally insane or those suffering with various kinds of mental illness: Round about 1955 the number of mental institution experienced a drawdown of types, in that they were not building any new facilities, despite the fact that approximately forty of the existing one’s had been shut down or were scheduled to be shut down. This change prompted the prison system to take over the role of caring for mentally ill inmates. As more and more prisons grew so did the role of the prison system to care for the influx of the special needs prisoners. Prisons were able to house and care for some 45,000 prisoners including those who were mentally ill, compared to that of a mental institutions ability to house some 3000 in a mental...
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...Prisoners with Special Needs Cara Lester CJA/234 July 9th, 2013 University of Phoenix George king There are many special needs prisoners, one that many are familiar with are the mentally ill, and substance abusing. In 1955 there weren’t any mental institutions being built, and there were forty that were shut down about a decade ago. As of today there were more prisons opening up, and many people seemed the most qualified to care for and house these patients. Today prisons have taken on the lead role of caring for mentally ill patients, housing 45,000 in prison to 3,000 in mental institutions. Rehabilitation programs are lacking in the mentally ill category, therefore mentally ill prisoners usually return to prison. There are many inmates in prisons that have different special needs. Some of these needs are based on the sex of the inmate. Male’s prisoners have a lot more special needs to take care of their selves as the females prisoners do not. You also have inmates who suffer from a mental illness. Their special needs are much more different than those who have basic needs. People who suffer from substance abuse have needs in the area called addiction. With having these...
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...Prisoners with Special Needs Roy Briston CJA/234 February 18, 2014 Prisoners with Special Needs There are many inmates in prisons that have different special needs. Some of these needs are based on whether the inmates are male or female. Males have some special needs to take care of their selves that females do not and vice versa. Then there are those who suffer from a mental illness. Their special needs are much different than those who have basic needs. People who suffer from substance abuse have needs in the area of addiction. All these different kinds of people with diverse needs effect the jails and prisons in various ways. If people were not cared for properly there would be negative repercussions. There are programs in prisons that allow these prisoners to be cared for properly. There are many special needs prisoners, one that many are familiar with are the mentally ill, and substance abusing. In 1955 there weren’t any mental institutions being built, and there were forty that were shut down about a decade ago. As of today there were more prisons opening up, and many people seemed the most qualified to care for and house these patients. Today prisons have taken on the lead role of caring for mentally ill patients, housing 45,000 in prison to 3,000 in mental institutions. Rehabilitation programs are lacking in the mentally ill category, therefore mentally ill prisoners usually return to prison. There are many inmates in prisons that have different special...
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...Prisoners with Special Needs David Stevens CJS/255 May 30, 2016 Sherri Webster Special needs, mentally ill, and substance-abusing prisoners affect the jail and prison systems at a state and federal level in a multitude of ways. One of the main issues within prisons is the fact that their mental health services can be seriously inadequate and lacking the proper staffing, all while operating in facilities that are not equipped to handle such prisoners, on top of a limited amount of programs to even help these prisoners with their problems. If these prisoners are not cared for properly, it could lead to deteriorating conditions for the prisoners. State and Federal Levels are Affected Jails and prisons are not meant to be home to the mentally ill, yet, when someone who is mentally ill commits a crime and cannot receive help outside of jail or prison, that is where they end up. Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression are just a few mental disorders that can plague prisoners in the criminal justice system. One of the main issues with prisoners having these mental health issues is the fact that prisons are not sufficiently capable of dealing with the increasing amount of prisoners coming into the system with mental health disorders (Human Rights Watch, 2016). Human Rights Watch (2016) goes on to state that “Unfortunately, prisons are ill-equipped to respond appropriately to the needs of prisoners with mental illness…Many seriously ill prisoners receive little...
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...External Stakeholders Art Clabon Professor Smarr Strayer University January 19, 2015 Loading...INTERNAL and EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS 2 Internal and External Stakeholders Identified- There are increasing counts of badly unstable ill people in the criminal justice system. This paper will shed light on the criminalization of people that has such illness thus issues that cause it. The law enforcement and mental health treatment what can be done to help the mentally ill offenders and the difficulties it causes. There are some recommendations to lesson or bring down criminalization of mentally ill people in the justice system this can occur by increasing and coordination of the police and mental health professionals in the field, which includes mental health training classes for law enforcement personnel. This can better help law enforcement and mental health personnel after the arrest are made. Thus making and developing a more suitable community treatment center for mentally ill offenders to be treated. This could work if the necessary people and components are in place for this type of center. But in order for this too occur both theory and practice must be there such as short-term and long-term goals for the offenders and a good liaison for the treatment of mentally ill offender in the justice system. This should also include the understanding and the desire for it structure. Things that shouldn’t be over looked are controlling the violence within the treatment center, and the crucial but...
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...discipline is very important when running a prison or jail. Usually, mentally ill inmates have had few or no protections against discipline routinely applied to their non-mentally ill peers. Arising from recent class action lawsuits challenging the quality of mental health care delivery in the nation’s prisons, prison mental health professionals have been called on to play an increasing role in the inmate disciplinary process. Referral questions include whether an inmate is competent to proceed with disciplinary proceedings and whether mental illness may have contributed to the rule violation. Prison mental health professionals participating in inmate disciplinary proceedings must therefore be familiar with relevant clinical, legal, and ethics issues. Little has been written in the psychiatric literature, however, examining this important role for prison mental health professionals. After first reviewing core legal and constitutional concepts, the author presents the results of a nationwide survey examining the role for mental health professionals in the inmate disciplinary process. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to provide a comprehensive review of this subject. Most prison systems have procedures for punishing prisoners who violate prison rules and for removing inmates from the general population for disciplinary or safety reasons. (For the purpose of this article, the terms “prisoner” and “inmate” will be used interchangeably. “Mental health” and “custody”...
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...over-representation of the mentally ill in the Canadian criminal justice system is unknown, evidence clearly points to the fact that it is not only existent, but it is also significant. Although mental illness is invariably defined, the broadest definition which includes substance abuse and antisocial personality disorder leads to the conclusion that at least 90% of offenders in the Canadian criminal justice system in Canada have a history of mental illness. Antisocial personality disorder is the most common diagnosis and is estimated to plague at least 80%of the population of prisoners within the Canadian criminal justice system. In addition, other infrequently diagnosed conditions include brain injuries, low...
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...Introduction 3 Population of Mentally Ill Inmates in the Correctional Facilities 3 Mentally ill inmates: The Cost 4 The Treatment of Mentally Ill Inmates 6 Selection Process for Mentally Ill Inmates 7 Isolation and Restraints 9 Conclusion 11 References 12 Introduction When a person thinks about a correction facility many only think that there is only regular criminals that are perfectly well, but what they neglect to know is that it is also housed with mentally ill inmates as well. Many of the people has been brained washed by media and movies that prisoners are to be normal criminals who have done things wrong in which has lead into a correction facility but what the fail to publicize is that they are also house by people who are not mentally stable, and who may receive different treatment from regular inmates. Correctional facilities have many types of inmates and undergo various dilemmas therefore they must try to deal with the cost of the inmates, provide different treatment and must undergo special screening in order to determine if they are ill or not. Population of Mentally Ill Inmates in the Correctional Facilities The country that has the greatest rate of adult imprisonment is the United States; it has 2.2 million presently in the correctional facilities (Annaceri, 2007). Individuals with psychological problems have been progressively more imprisoned within the last three decades, most likely the consequence of the deinstitutionalization of the state psychological...
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