Analysis of Documental Film The Released - Essay Example

Running Head: Film Analysis of the Released Film analysis of the released s Film analysis of “The Released” Many theorists have proposed various explanations regarding criminal behavior in individuals; Marxists deemed crime as a social evil associated with capitalism, a form of primitive rebellion against their current circumstances (Bohm, 2001, 115). Although, the socioeconomic standing of an individual does contribute to criminal behavior but besides financial circumstances, psychological factors are equally responsible for this. Therefore, it is no surprise that a 2005 study conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics claims that more than 50% of the prison inmates suffer from mental health problems (James & Glaze, 2006). The demographic covered in the documentary were predominantly middle aged men, mostly belonging to lower social class. Individuals suffering from mental illnesses have irrational thought processes that often cause them to have auditory, visual and olfactory hallucinations and delusions which impair their judgment and cognitions causing them to hurt other people and engaging in felonious activities. The biggest factor in mental illnesses is that the individual loses control of his behavior and as a result, this leads to catastrophic repercussions for the individual. Essentially, people with impaired mental capability can plead not guilty by reason of insanity but then the people lack the finances to afford a good defense attorney to make a strong case against the prosecution and as a result the said individual often end up head to head with the criminal justice system. The fact that these people are in a jail system, they not only pose a great threat to others but themselves as well (Torrey, 2010, 2). They are incarcerated with other criminals as well, who may try to harm them and are equally exposed to that threat. A person with a mental illness is entitled to proper rehabilitation, which cannot be provided in a jail and therefore, a lot of ethical issues come to surface because the individuals are entitled to be provided with support after their release. One of the major ethical issues involved in the jurisdiction involving mentally ill individuals is that one cannot determine whether or not the crimes pre-meditated or accident. The fact that the individual is mentally ill often causes him to act in an unusual manner which may lead to an accident and because the individual is incapable of defending himself, he will obviously have a very strong case against him. This is the concept that is covered in the PBS documentary titled “The Released”, which discusses the fact that American prison are more like mental asylums; once the inmate is released, it usually ends up with a severe relapse due to the limited number of resources for them and leads them back in the prison. The documentary includes extensive interviews in regarding the matter from former and current inmates, judges, physicians and psychiatrists, who discuss the repercussions on individuals with mental illnesses. The documentary features an interview from Jerry Tharp in the beginning as he talks about his illness and the efforts put in by the prison facility but after being paroled, Jerry found himself back in prison because the lack of support system outside the prison facility exacerbates the symptoms and causing them to turn back to criminal behavior (Navasky, O’Connor & Wright, 2009). There are plenty of theories that help explain the psychology and sociology involved in criminal activities. The Marxist theory discussed above only takes the unequal distribution of wealth as a prime factor, but it is highly reductionist for it only takes socioeconomic factors, but considering other aspects of this issue it is ostensible that income distribution triggers a snowball effect that eventually underlines the correlation between lifestyle and psychological stability, and criminal behavior. Besides socioeconomic factors, an individual may have a genetic predisposition to criminal behavior or mental illnesses. For instance, most of the criminals featured on the documentary suffered from varying subtypes of Schizophrenia (Navasky, O’Connor & Wright, 2009). The etiology of schizophrenia has also been narrowed down to and associated with environment and hereditary as major contributing factors. Many of the prison inmates are known to have a long history of substance abuse and it is not just the social environment of the individual but the biological paradigm state that if an individual has a family history of criminal behavior then he is more susceptible to engage in it. It is a mere hypothesis because the biological paradigm can only provide rough conjectures and none of the results can be used as an absolutely predictor of an individual’s behavior. However, the biosocial paradigm is an excellent method of studying correlations to establish hypotheses (Harrison & Owen, 2009, 418). While the biological side refers to the nature, the nurture aspect is equally viable in helping to explain some of the factors that triggered the illness. One of the most important similarities in all of the inmates was the fact that most of them either suffered from addiction or schizophrenia. The first two cases highlighted in the documentary of Tharp and Grisset involved the subjects suffering from schizophrenia and their hallucination had several overlapping elements for example their hallucinations were of similar nature, they were not just characterized by paranoia but then they all had their roots within religious and spiritual beliefs. For instance, Tharp mutilated his body in an attempt to purge him of some sort of spiritual evil, whereas Grisset had voices telling him that he was the father of god (Navasky, O’Connor & Wright, 2009). Therefore, lifestyle and beliefs are key elements that affect an individual thought processes and therefore, one needs to learn ways to cope and compartmentalize their belief system. Another interesting finding proposed by Psychosocial paradigm is that offenders are usually found to have a very low IQ and are often not intellectually developed which further makes the vulnerable to irrational cognitions and eventually resorting to criminal behavior (Walsh, 2012). IQ and intellect is a trait that is also associated with the genetic model, which shows that all these factors are interrelated. Moreover, the offenders belong to the lower socioeconomic stratum that renders them incapable of affording proper education or a safe environment, which may lessen their vulnerability towards these behaviors. Education enhances the repertoire of skills needed to pave way for stable mental growth. As the individuals do not have access to proper education, their IQ levels and intellect is not as developed, which leads to developmental impairment and other problems. Education helps individuals to have a sound view of society and psycho-education further helps them understand the cognitive processes even better. Increased awareness of behavior makes them more self-conscious which in turn can be helpful in enabling the person to moderate their behavior. The aforementioned concepts are all combined under the umbrella of Developmental theories that takes into account biology, psychology and social factors that contribute to criminal behavior. Therefore, instead of one theory contributing to such activities, crimes are a result of a combination that helps explain the etiology and also the demographics greatly affected by it. Therefore, the developmental theory best explains the behavior as it takes into account the entire course of the individual’s life along with environmental and also biological factors. It is theorized that the onset of criminal behavior usually occurs around adolescence, as an individual is going through the greatest hormonal and emotional changes. During this period of time, Walsh (2012) claims that the individual has the greatest lapse in rational thoughts and judgment, so it is indeed a very volatile period during a person’s life. Other risk factors include developmental disorders such as Conduct Disorders and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders that may further exacerbate their condition and cause them to partake in illegal activities. There have been several other patterns of their behavior that were proposed by theorists. Such as the three pathways to Boy’s delinquency that shows that criminal behavior is usually triggered by defiance and authority avoidance which usually occurs during the early development stages of the child. Due to the fact that he has established deep-seated grievances against the authorities, he will obviously try to defy it, which in turns puts them on the wrong side of the law. Moreover, the paradigm rests more on personality traits and incidents that shape it eventually. The super traits theory’s main premise is that irritability and lack of self control are the biggest factors that lead to felonious behavior. The theory is an all-encompassing belief system that includes all the environment factors that trigger such personality trait. It looks at family environment and biological history to determine the individual’s genetic predisposition to these traits. It also examines peers and the social support system that may provide explanation regarding the individual’s association outside the domestic environment and the extent of its influence. The theory also takes school and work environment in to account as well, because the former provides insight into the intellectual development and overall schooling experience for the individual and then the work environment determines the socioeconomic stratum the individual would eventually fall into (Walsh, 2012). As per the theories discussed above in this essay, it is ostensible that the studies have created a profile for individuals with a predisposition to criminal behavior. The development theory has more validity because it is all-compassing than reductionist. Biological paradigm is based on hypothesis and does not fully explain the relationship between the causal variable and the effect. As for the feminist theories and Marxist perspective, it completely negates all the internal factors and individual differences that may also lead to stigma that people belonging to lower economic classes are likely to be criminals thus resulting in biases. The documentary on the other hand, tries to make the plight of mentally ill patients known and the fact that they do not belong in prisons but in hospitals that can actually cater to their special needs and help them to rehabilitate. Like Jerry Tharp, most of the patients end up back in Prison because there is no follow up or proper care given to these patients. The prison resources are only so much that they can provide support and medications that will last only for two weeks. However, in Grisset’s case, he was fortunate enough to be able to go to a rehabilitation program that helps the individuals stay out of trouble for they not only provide effective treatment regimens but also proper social support systems that help alleviate their symptoms (Navasky, O’Connor & Wright, 2009). The documentary is indeed an eye opener and provides an alternate perspective on the widely held view that most people in jails are just Lumpenproletariat, when indeed they are not scum but just people who need immediate psychiatric assistance to prevent them from becoming a threat to society. The documentary did change my view and made me feel more empathy and sympathy for them because in most cases, it is impossible to determine whether or not the person was involved and in a criminal justice hearing, the defendant’s plea has no credibility and they are practically inept at defending themselves. Not only are they mentally inept, but financially they are not in a sound position to do anything so therefore, the authorities are further laden with a burden to accommodate them. There are plenty of reasons why a Jail is not suitable place because there are plenty of other emotionally and psychologically unstable individuals and the presence of gang violence within the confines of the prison facilities makes it even worse. Therefore, the documentary brings a new story to surface helping the audience to sympathize with the prison population not depicting them as degenerate but just people who need psychological rehabilitation to prevent them from doing harm to themselves and others around them. References: Bohm, R.M. 2001. A Primer on Crime and Delinquency Theory. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. James, J.D & Glaze, L.E. 2006. Mental Health Problems of Prison and Jail Inmates. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Navasky, M & O’Connor K (Producer & Director). 2009. The Released (Documentary Film). Public Broadcasting System (PBS). Torrey, E. F. 2012.More Mentally ill Patients are in Jails and Prisons than Hospitals: A Survey of the States. Treatment Advocacy Center. Walsh, A. 2012. Criminology: The Essentials. Sage Publications Inc. Read More