Mind4Youth

Author: Madison Quenneville

Judgement Revolving Mental Health
Mental health impacts 1 out of 8 people globally, emphasizing the need for
de-stigmatization. Adversities are faced by those with a diagnosis in the criminal justice system: longer sentences, poor treatment by officers, and a higher risk of returning to jail. There is a correlation between mental health and incarceration rates, most importantly because they lack the resources to turn their life around, feeling hopeless. In a system focused on controlling crime, little room is presented to solve moral issues to quell the
amount of people that even step foot in a jail.

Firstly, there are disparities in data as you understand those with mental illness are overrepresented in jail. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 18% of the population has mental illness yet 44% of inmates in jail have a diagnosis, highlighting underlying issues. The overarching question is why a large frequency of those combating mental health end up incarcerated?

A Deeper Analysis of Mental Health
A massive factor is ACES. ACES are adverse childhood experiences such as neglect or exposure to negative behaviors, impacting how an individual acts in adulthood. UCLA research has derived, “having four or more parental ACEs was associated with a nearly twofold higher adjusted odds of arrest before age 26” comparatively to someone who has no ACES, targeting a prevailing threat in childhood. Many repeat offenders have experienced abuse, neglect, or other misguided behaviors, derailing them from is the
appropriate way to act in society. Real solutions to decreasing the incarceration rate would need to take a critical lens on social problems and protecting youth, halting issues at the root instead of cascading from the genuine problems a person is facing.

Consequently, physiological backgrounds of offenders are thrown to the side as those suffering from mental health issues experience frequent hardships while incarcerated. Dating back to the 18th century, people would be thrown into insane asylums if they acted disorderly. Little was needed to be deemed as insane and doctors were negligent with their
patients. If there has been a history of those struggling with mental health being misrepresented, how can we be assured that prisons adequately treat prisoners’ mental health needs?

The simplest response is that it isn’t. Plethora of research details inmates being unable to receive therapy or medication, and they felt like they were often disrespected. A researcher based in Missouri has noted, “Of the 51 jails surveyed, only 57% of jails were able to provide long-acting injectable antipsychotics, 22% charged a fee for administration of medications,
and 31% would not adjust medication times based on food requirements”. As inmates lose their autonomy in prison, prison administration is expected to ensure that their facilities are habitats for rehabilitation instead of the end. Furthermore, “Interactions with correctional staff and health care services have the potential to buffer the stressors and risks inherent in prisons for people with mental illnesses,” discouraging inmates through
the cumbersome process. Added financial cost, lack of empathy from staff, and personal biases are often main reasons for inmates to stay silent instead of advocating for resources.

Striving for Change
The Criminalization of the Mentally Ill | Reagan Kremer | TEDxUNT A crime-control focused system often downplays how valuable compassion and resources can be in reducing repeat offenders or shifting perspectives of those feeling like they need to commit crime. For example, “interventions to improve linkage to mental health treatment in the community have proven to be a successful strategy to prevent re-incarceration” which oftentimes can be downplayed as a hoax. If prisons had more staff focused on psychiatry and developing resources there could be a downtrend of recidivism. Danielle Wallace has concluded, “Better mental health, both in-prison and changes to mental health post-release, is related to a decrease in the likelihood of recidivating,” and those who had massive mental changes pre-prison to after have the lowest potential for recidivism. Keeping crime off streets is an integral part of the system that always needs to be at the forefront, but stopping people from repeat offending is as important.

Looking forward, the Stepping Up Initiative intends to protect the mentally ill from injustices. Over 120 resources have been developed under their wing as they gather and screen inmates for data on mental illness while connecting them with policy makers so their voices are heard. The Stepping Up Initiative expands solutions of narrowing the mental help crisis in the future and can inspire a future generation. Ensuring family contact
has also been an ample measure to decrease recidivism.

Awareness and communication is crucial to ensure people are protected from being negatively stereotyped. It is common to experience symptoms of mental illness or to be diagnosed, yet there is still a prevalent bias; major institutional change is the best manner of dismantling the shame behind mental health. Current prisons exacerbate mood disorders and can lead to post-incarceration disorder, trailing after the past offender with PTSD symptoms from the conditions they faced. As offenders are punished for their crimes, there needs to be a line of ethics that has not been reinforced as thoroughly as it needs to be.

To conclude, highlighting the inadequacies of a system is not to say that there is no room for growth. If anything, realizing the lack of support there is for mental health shows how small changes can lead to drastic effects. A helping hand is capable of changing the hearts of many, and aspiring youth are the most potent way to achieve peace.

Works Cited

Mental health. (n.d.). http://Www.who.int. https://www.who.int/health-topics/
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2022, March 2).

About Criminal and Juvenile Justice. http://Www.samhsa.gov. https://www.samhsa.gov/

Trauma, severe stress in childhood linked to criminal legal involvement in next generation. (n.d.). http://Www.uclahealth.org. https://www.uclahealth.org/news/

Plummer, N., Guardado, R., Yvane Ngassa, Montalvo, C., Kotoujian, P. J., Siddiqi, K., Senst, T., Simon, K. M., Acevedo, A., & Wurcel, A. G. (2023).

Racial Differences in Self-Report of Mental Illness and Mental Illness Treatment in the Community: An Analysis of Jail Intake Data. Administration and Policy in Mental Health. https://doi.org/

Wallace, D., & Wang, X. (2020). Does in-prison physical and mental health impact recidivism? SSM – Population Health, 11(100569), 1–16. https://doi.org/

Quandt, K. R., & Jones, A. (2021, May 13). Research roundup: Incarceration can cause lasting damage to mental health. Prison Policy Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/

Wang, L. (2021, December 21). Research roundup: The positive impacts of family contact for incarcerated people and their families. Prison Policy Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/family_contact/

Canada, K., Barrenger, S., Bohrman, C., Banks, A., & Peketi, P. (2022). Multi-Level Barriers to Prison Mental Health and Physical Health Care for Individuals with Mental Illnesses. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.3389/

Wang, L., & Quandt, K. R. (2021, July 20). Building exits off the highway to mass incarceration: Diversion programs explained. Prison Policy Initiative.
https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/diversion.html