Contact your local jail at the sheriff's office or state prison to schedule an interview with a corrections officer or administrator. The interview can be performed in person, over the phone, or via Skype. You can also email the questions if requested. Ask the following questions and take notes during your conversation:
Does the jail/prison maintain a separate block/unit for mentally ill inmates?
What is the total number of inmates housed in the facility?
How many mentally ill inmates are housed in the facility?
Does the jail/prison provide psychological and psychiatric care for these inmates?
Do mentally ill inmates receive evaluations by psychologists or psychiatrists?
What is the cost for the care of each mentally ill inmate compared to the cost of a non-mentally ill inmate?
What is the recidivism rate of the mentally ill inmates? In other words, how many times has the same inmate been re-arrested?
What are the crimes committed by mentally ill inmates?
Evaluate the obtained data, and then develop an action plan that offers solutions and recommendations to improve the care of the mentally ill inmates in prisons and jails. Base your solutions and recommendations on the results of your interview, this week's readings, and your own research. Be sure to include answers to the following research questions, along with the data collected during the interview:
Do you believe that the mentally ill inmates receive adequate care in the correction facility? Why or why not? Support your reasoning with the answers from the interview.
The Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution mentions cruel and unusual punishment. Based on your interview and readings, is inadequate care for mentally-ill inmates considered cruel and unusual punishment?
When considering the cost comparison between mentally-ill inmates and non-mentally ill inmates, does the housing of the mentally ill burden the budget of corrections? How does it affect the efficiency of the department?
Provide suggestions to reduce recidivism of mentally ill inmates.
Support your assignment with at least three scholarly resources. In addition to these specified resources, other appropriate scholarly resources, including older articles, may be included.