Mental Health Issues RUNNING HEAD: Mental Health Issues

Katelyn Parker September 1, 2011 CJ 465 KGA Rough Draft

Mental Health Issues Abstract Mental Health issues and Adult offenders Many adults suffer from a mental illness, often times the issue can be treated and the individual is able to live a normal lifestyle. It is when the person with the mental illness begins acting and feeling extremely different to the point of carrying out actions that any sane person would not see appropriate. In addition it becomes an even greater problem when the individual begins doing things that interfere with other peoples rights and wellbeing. Basically when the individual suffering from a mental illness begins engaging in criminal activity is when the issue is out of control and needs attention immediately. Unfortunately in the American justice system there is a lack of treatment available to adults who have or have not been diagnosed with a mental illness. As a result the individual enters a downward spiral like lifestyle and only gets worse with time. Some crimes that are committed by adults with mental illness include but are not limited

to: theft, assault, rape, and even murder. These adult offenders are then arrested and taken to jail. Within most county jails and state prisons mental health help is not a large part of the prison or jail system; therefor the individual is not receiving the help they need to rehabilitate. This unfortunately just leads to more crime for the reason that if they are not helped and or medicated the individual cannot recognize their actions as wrong and in turn they re-offend. In contrast there are some resources available to adult offenders and those include counseling within the jails and in some cases medication. Mental health issues in the correctional system

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At midyear 2005 more than half of all prison and jail inmates had a mental health problem, including 705,600 inmates in State prisons, 78,800 in Federal prisons, and 479,900 in local jails. These estimates represented 56% of State prisoners, 45% of Federal prisoners, and 64% of jail inmates. The findings in this report were based on data from personal interviews with State and Federal prisoners in 2004 and local jail inmates in 2002. Mental health problems were defined by two measures: a recent history or symptoms of a mental health problem. They must have occurred in the 12 months prior to the interview. A recent history of mental health problems included a clinical diagnosis or treatment by a mental health professional. Symptoms of a mental disorder were based on criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV). More than two-fifths of State prisoners (43%) and more than half of jail inmates (54%) reported symptoms that met the criteria for mania. About 23% of State prisoners and 30% of jail inmates reported symptoms of major depression. An estimated 15% of State prisoners and 24% of jail inmates reported symptoms that met the criteria for a psychotic disorder. Psychological Services Units (PSU's) provide prison-based mental health services to prisoners with mental or behavioral disorders housed in reception centers, general population, or segregation units. These services, located in all DOC prisons, include identification and referral of mentally ill, developmentally disabled and other special needs prisoners and delivery of individual and group therapy, behavior management and offender rehabilitation programs (e.g., for sex offenders, assaultive offenders and developmentally disabled offenders). Prisoners

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determined by PSU staff to meet admission criteria for the CMHP are referred for evaluation and treatment.