Mental Health and Criminal Justice System - Coursework Example

Mental illness Mental Health and Criminal Justice System Introduction Various literatures and researches regarding criminal justice system focus on the mental health of the inmates within Australian prisons. As early as 1988, Henderson states that 31% of the prisoners experience some kind of mental illness (Henderson, 1988). The NSW states that 60% of the prisoners that become a part of the prison suffer from certain kind of mental diseases (Schizophrenia Fellowship 2001). Another survey conducted by the NSW Corrections Health Service stated in their findings that 50% of the total population of women prisoners and the 33% of the total population of men prisoners have been a part of treatment for mental illnesses and cognitive issues (NSW, 1997). Out of these individuals, one third of the subjects had been admitted in hospitals for treatment of cognitive issues. 26% of the individuals, who reported a problem, stated that they had experienced mental disorders including anxiety, schizophrenia and other mental challenges prior to their admission in prisons (NSW, 1997). Body Mental Illness and Crime Henderson believes that in order to make effective policies, it is important to identify the cause of mental disorder and the affect that the disorder has on an individual. Mental illnesses have been associated with committing crimes; Henderson states that out of a total of 500 patients who are mentally challenged, 4% have conducted criminal activity (Henderson, 1988). This does not mean that individuals who are mentally ill commit crimes; rather, it is true that people with mental illnesses are held responsible for committing crime than those who are mentally fit. Mental Illness and Violent Behavior Although there is small amount or no connection between mental illness and crime rate, but there may be ample amount of association between mental illnesses and violence. Crimes that are quite violent in nature are mostly associated with those individuals who are mentally challenged. This opinion has been given unwanted attention by the media, which is continuously depicting mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, with crimes that are violent in nature. According to a study conducted by Monahan in 1983, there was no link between criminal activities and mental illnesses when tested in accordance to age, demographics, past prison period and hospitalization (Monahan, 1983). During 1992, the same researcher showed that there was certain amount of link between behavior that is violent in nature and mental illness (Monahan, 1992). These behaviors are mostly exhibited by those mentally ill individuals who do not have treatment for the cognitive issues, have conducted violent behavior in the past and are heavy substance abusers. The study even stated that the link between mental illness and violent behavior was only present in those individuals who had presence of psychotic symptoms and due to this, a major portion of mentally ill people were not considered as those who would and who can commit violent behavior. Jablensky stated during 1999 that the likelihood of a mentally ill patient harming another individual is quite low, as compared to the likelihood of the same person harming himself (Jablensky, 1998). Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Hodgins stated in his review that the probability of mentally ill individual committing a crime is higher not because of the reason that he/she is mentally ill, but because of the heavy amount of substance abuse taking place among these individuals (Hodgins, 1993). Munetz stated that out of all the mentally ill individuals imprisoned, 86% of them had a prior of abusing substance and 76% of the total population were active substance abusers when they were arrested (Munetz, 2001). The existence of mental illness is accompanied by other factors such as incapability to socialize, get a job and poor education. These factors are the main reasons due to which the mentally ill ends up with substance abuse. According to NSW, males who are single, young and have a family background of violence are the ones who get involved in violent activities, as well as substance abuse (NSW, 2000). Individuals who experience high level of mental illnesses are said to abuse harmful substances and get involved in activities which are criminal. Swartz stated that people who experience high level of mental disorders and those who do not take their medications properly are most probably going to get involved in violent behavior (Swartz, 1998). Hurlburt states that those who are indulged in the act of substance abuse are more likely to experience homelessness and the rate of homelessness is even higher among those individuals who are mentally ill and even abuse substance at the same time (Hurlburt, 1998). He further stated that individuals who abuse substance, are mentally ill and do not stick with their medication are at a higher risk of being imprisoned. Response and Challenges The NSW is responsible for providing psychiatric aid and assistance to the prisoners of Australia, it accomplishes its duties by directly providing services to the prisons. The practitioners that provide assistance to the mentally ill experience tremendous amount of problems, and the kind of service provided by the practitioners even vary according to the culture. The nature of aid provided by the prison mental health system is not of quite high quality because it has been separated from mental health services provided to the general population (Greenberg, 2002, p.150). The NSW provides its services to inmates through a program that is based on the court; this assistance is provided to those incumbents who have conducted very minor offences. They are provided with treatment through phone call services that are available for 24 hours, a hospital has been created within the prison system for male prisoners and there is outside mental health assistance provided to prisoners. The entire program of providing assistance to mentally ill is backed by various services including psychology and counseling. Several individuals get arrested on the basis of conducting minor mistakes, as sated earlier, 60% of all the females arrested for small mistakes were mentally ill and 44% of all the imprisoned males who were mentally ill were convicted for nonviolent crimes. Diversion programs have been created; in these programs people who are arrested for lower degree of criminal activities are checked for mental issues at the time of arrest; here, professionals from the field of mental health work hand in hand with the courts and the police. The result of this activity benefits the prisoners in several ways, in certain scenarios the charges levied are relaxed, treatment is assigned in face of probation and these individuals are even further referred to better hospitals and treatment centers (Greenberg, 2002, p. 175). In NSW, the mental health care professionals work along professionals of the criminal justice system to determine individuals who need medical attention for mental issues and then these individuals are sent to mental health care facilities instead of keeping them in prisons. Under the criminal justice system, there are various prisons that have hospitals build within them, these hospitals have been specifically designed for assisting the mentally challenged. The Long Bay Prison Hospital is one such example of prison hospital; this hospital comprises of total one hundred and twenty beds; out of these beds, 90 beds are assigned to patients that need psychiatric help, and 15 beds have been allocated to patients that are mentally ill, either acutely or sub acutely. These patients are diagnosed with mental illnesses, then treated through therapy and medication and then shifted back to their prisons once their condition changes. This hospital is only designed for males; females have not been yet allotted with a medial hospital within the prison. Women who are very ill and have failed to respond to basic mental health medication are shifted outside the prison hospitals to the general hospitals. The NSW faces various issues in carrying out their duty of helping mentally ill patients; one of the major issues is a lack of plan and assistance once these patients have recovered. After these patients recover from their health issues, they are either released or sent back to the prisons. The conditions of the prisons are very bad for the cognitive health of the newly recovered patients. Even those patients who are released back into the community are not provided with a release plan. This means that they do not have a job or employment opportunity, as well as place to live after they have been released. Conclusion The criminal justice system is taking steps to help the mentally ill prisoners and inmates. They have conducted practices such as created hospitals within the prisons; when needed, these patients are even shifted outside the hospital for better treatment. The criminal justice system has a proper court program through which it differentiates between types of those who are claimed to be mentally ill. Then these people are either shifted to prisons, if they are not mentally ill, or shifted to mental health care facilities if they are found to be mentally ill. Mental illness is highly correlated with violence and substance abuse due to which mentally unfit individuals indulge in criminal activities. References Greenberg, D. & Nielsen, B. (2002). Court diversion in NSW for people with mental health problems and disorders. NSW Public Health Bulletin, 13(7) July 2002; 158-160. Henderson, S. (1988). An introduction to social psychiatry. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hodgins, S. (ed.) (1993). Mental disorder and crime. London, Sage. Hurlburt, M.S., Hough, R.L., & Wood, P.A. (1998). Effects of substance abuse on housing srtability of homeless mentally ill persons in supported housing. Psychiatric Services, 47(7): 731−736. Jablensky, A., Jones, P. (1998). Invited commentaries on: ‘Premorbid adjustment and personality in people with schizophrenia’. British Journal of Psychiatry. Vol 172 Apr 1998, pp314−315. Monahan, J. (1983). The prediction of violent behavior: Developments in psychology and law. In James C. Scheirer, Barbara L. Hammonds (Eds). Psychology and the law. Master lecture series, Vol. 2, pp151−176. Monahan, J. (1992). Mental Disorder and violent behaviour: perceptions and evidence. American Psychologist. 47 (4), pp511−521. Munetz, M.R., Grande, T.P., & Chambers, M.R. (2001). The incarceration of individuals with severe mental disorders. Community Mental Health Journal, 37(4): pp361−371. New South Wales. (1997). Inmate health survey. Matraville, NSW: Corrections Health Service. NSW Health (2000). Management of people with a co-existing mental health and substance use disorder – discussion paper. Sydney: NSW Health. NSW Health: State Health Publication PH020116. Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW Inc. (2001). Report on the criminal justice system in Australia. February, 2001. Swartz, M.S., Swanson, J.A.W., Hiday, V.A., Borum, R., Wagner, H.R. & Burns, B.J. (1998). Violence and severe mental illness: the effects of substance abuse and nonadherence to medication. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155, pp226−231. Read More