Assignment:
Introduction
Background
The essay will be on the institutionalisation of offenders whom a large number of them are mentally disabled individuals and how they are being exposed to various conditions that are detrimental to their state of health. It is common knowledge that most individuals who end up in correctional facilities have some form of mental handicap which often predisposes them to a deviant behaviour that ends up landing them in correctional facilities. Most correctional facilities are often crowded, and thus, the provision of basic human services and rights is often a challenge. When it comes to individuals who are mentally handicapped, the problems and challenges they face are extrapolated as they are unable to receive the specialised care that they require for their medical and mental conditions (MHA, 2015). The introduction will feature a summary of the issue at hand, which is the treatment of the mentally disabled in correctional facilities and in so doing, highlight the relevant issues that are pertinent to the persuasive essay.
Thesis Statement
The thesis statement at the end of the introductory paragraph will state that there is a need to have a change in policy, implementation and procedures of correctional facilities to accommodate for safe practices that will ensure that individuals with mental handicaps access the care they need to have a better life.
Body
Treatment of Mentally Handicapped Within Correctional Facilities
Research into the Issue
• Mental Health America has conducted a study to determine the effects of the poor state of affairs with regards to the mental health of individuals incarcerated in various institutions across the United States of America (MHA, 2015).
• As such, the organisation advocates for policy change in the correctional systems and legal systems where individuals with mental disorders should serve their sentences in facilities where they can access the care that their conditions warrant them to receive.
Description of Issues
• The United States of America does not have a policy which segregates the various classes of inmates with mental handicaps, which aggravates the various mental health states of the individuals who end up serving their sentences in facilities where they cannot get access to the requisite mental health care that they require to function optimally.
• Mentally disabled inmates should have access to adequate care in specialised institutions to accelerate their healing and potentially reduce the number of repeat incarcerations of individuals with such handicaps (Lopez &Maiello-Reidy, 2017).
Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses of Mental Health Care Issues
• There is a potential for the relevant authorities to provide adequate care to inmates with mental health challenges.
• There will be a reduction in the number of repeat offenders as the ones with mental illnesses will receive the care that they require to enable them to function normally in the social settings out of correctional facilities.
• Correctional facilities will not be as congested as they are once institutions that provide specialised care to those with mental handicaps will be set up (Schulenberg, 2015).
• Setting up a mental health facility that caters to inmates requires a lot of capital
• There is inadequate research into the issues facing inmates with mental health disorders, and thus, there is inadequate information concerning the best practices for mental health care in correctional facilities.
Evaluation and Conclusion
Institutions of correction for inmates should ordinarily have adequate care for all individuals serving their terms. However, since this is not often the case, the individuals who suffer the most are those with mental health illnesses as they end up not receiving the much-needed care that they ought to. In this regard, inmates with mental health illnesses in correctional facilities end up suffering more as their conditions worsen due to inadequate care. To this end, there is a need for more research and a change in the correctional system to cater for inmates with special needs as this will have an overall positive outcome for all involved in the process.
1900 word paper based off outline provided
APA Style
5 peer-reviewed resources
Include the following points:
- A thorough description of the issue(s) you have selected, explaining why you find them to be important, and why they are relevant in corrections.
- A thorough description of the trends, themes, practices, and/or models that relate to the issue(s), and how these models apply to the issue(s) and to corrections in general.
- An analysis of both the issue(s), and the associated trends, themes, practices, and/or models to determine all strengths and weaknesses that contribute to the issue(s).
- An evaluation of the issue(s), and the trends, themes, practices, and/or models that you have selected in terms of their impact on corrections today and in the future.
References
Anasseril, D. (2007). Care of the Mentally Ill in Prisons: Challenges and Solutions. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 35(4), 406-410.
Ehret, M. J. (2012). Psychiatric research done in the correctional facilities. Mental Health Clinician, 1(10), 249-249.
López, M., &Maiello-Reidy, L. (2017, June 28). Prisons and the mentally ill: why design matters.
MHA. (2015). Position Statement 56: Mental Health Treatment in Correctional Facilities.
Schulenberg, J. L. (2015). Police Decision-Making in the Gray Zone. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 43(4), 459-482.