Mental Illness and Incarceration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mental Illness and Incarceration - Essay Example The case of Bennie Anthony demonstrates how releasing mentally ill criminals back into society failed to protect the public. In the Anthony case less than one month after being released Anthony set fire to his girlfriend's home. This was not an isolated case and the welfare of the criminal himself needs to be considered. For example, as seen in Reid (2006) Tylor attempted to hang himself while in prison and another inmate attempted suicide seventeen times. Had they not been incarcerated at that time and were, instead, free on the streets, there is a high likelihood that their suicide attempts would have been successful. While some people would argue that mentally ill inmates should not be housed with general population criminals, often within the prison system the two classes of criminals are segregated. The narrator of the New Asylums video stated "In Ohio, mentally ill inmates are separated from the prison's general population and housed in mental health units where they can be treated." Since they are separated they are not interacting with the criminals on a regular or daily basis. This segregation of mentally ill inmates, in effect, ensures the protection of both society and the mentally ill inmates while also treating their illnesses. Additionally, the mentally ill who commit crimes do not have mens rea even though they have actually committed a crime. Incarcerating them may not be the most logical or rational decision but our society has by consensus accepted this practice. One reason could be because society feels it is best for us all to have them locked away and provides for the safety of the inmate himself. As Reid states "the primary job of prison administrators is to administer justice, not treatment" (2006 page number), this is accomplished by locking up the mentally ill. Reid further states "Some people commit crimes while they are not thinking rationally" (2006 page number). These people get punished even when they are not thinking in a rational manner. Although this may be a temporary state of mind, it can be compared to the status of mentally ill criminals and confirms the precedent for incarceration of criminals who are mentally ill or not in a rational state of mind at the time of the offence. Many people feel that our criminal justice system has failed to rehabilitate criminals, whether mentally ill or not. However, Fogel as quoted in Reid states that "the purpose of the prison is to confine for a specified period of time, not to rehabilitate the criminal" (2006 page number). The author feels that this inability or unwillingness to rehabilitate criminals becomes more pronounced and evident when the criminals are mentally ill. Not only is there no rehabilitation but often mental health care is inadequate or non existent. Mental Health Administrator, Bridget Benetis admits that keeping the inmates locked up is not going to do any good for them, but she also sees it as necessary. At the facility they have medication, available psychiatrists, and nurses 24 hours a day. She asserts that they are not going to find that level of care at any other place. Another area of concern is that within the prison system there is a possibility that a person who is not mentally ill can develop mental illnesses while incarcerated due to conditions within the prison