Mental Illness in Prison with Inmates

Mental Illness in Prison with Inmates

Introduction

Mental Illness is an adverse affect of being imprisoned. There are many people who commit illegal activities and are then punished for doing so. During the time period in which an inmate serve the sentence in prison the society in that period of time faces many alterations and undergo many changes. After their punishment when they are sent to the normal societies appears to be drastically changed and altered for these inmates in terms of availability of community resources, availability of jobs and availability of support from family, friends and relatives. In today's era there are more inmates and they are serving long sentences in prison and only small number of inmates is receiving extensive pre-release programs and rehabilitation program.

Thesis Statement

This research focuses on finding the ways to tackle the mental illness in prisons.

Background of the Study

Many returning inmates are released back into society with chronic health problems including substance abuse and mental illness as well as infectious diseases commonly found in correctional settings including hepatitis C, tuberculosis and HIV or AIDS. Although there is evidence that prison programs can be cost effective and beneficial to inmates, recent surveys indicate that relatively few inmates take advantage of these programs while incarcerated. Review of the literature will present different ways of ensuring that the prisoners are treated of their mental illness and these programs will prove to be very beneficial for the prisoners.

Review of Literature

Many researchers are increasingly, yet cautiously, turning optimistic about the effectiveness of certain types of in-prison programs available to inmates. Most penal settings offer various types of in-prison programs including drug and alcohol treatment, educational opportunities ranging from basic adult education to GED, vocational training and even college classes. In addition, an increasing number of correctional facilities are also offering faith based communities in efforts to provide support for life outside of prison. However, most inmates do not participate in programs offered to prepare them for release and life in the larger society.

Once inmates have entered the penal institution they must learn how to adjust to prison life. There are several stages that inmates will go through before settling into the prison environment (Sheridan, 1992). The first stage of adjustment occurs immediately following the sentencing process. In most states, inmates initially take part in the process of diagnosis and classification where the state will determine the security risk of an inmate and the necessary treatment needed. This process will determine which facility an inmate serves their prison sentence. Once an inmate enters the institution, they will often begin to deal with the realization of incarceration. This period often results in depression and enforced idleness that often leads to boredom (Sheridan, 1992). After a brief period of time inmates will become familiar with the on-goings of the institution including the prison underground market and any racial conflict that exists in the institution. The final stage of transition into the prison community occurs after the early adjustment ...