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Mental

Disorders in
Prison

By: Jessica Chang

The Fictional Prisoner


Professor Stacy Bell
Introduction

■ 2.2 million people currently in jails or


prisons
■ 55% male and 73% of females
suffering from mental disorders
O’Conner v. Donaldson (1975)

■ Deinstitutionalization
■ mental hospitals and other similar
facilities were shut down
■ Lost focus on mental disorder
treatments
■ Mentally disabled end up on the streets,
abusing drugs, and committing crimes,
leading them into (or back into) the
prison system
Prisons replace hospitals

■ 2004 to 2005 survey - three times more


seriously mentally ill people in jails and
prisons that in hospitals
■ 2006 study (U.S. Department of Justice)
- more than half of inmates had a
mental problem, while only 11% of
general population is afflicted
■ Only 1 in 3 in prison and 1 in 6 in jail
receive treatment
Percent of Inmates Who Have Mental or Mood Issues (Khazan)

Types of Mental Issues Among State and Federal Inmates (Khazan)


“ Many incarcerated people are
inflicted by mental disorders both
prior to and during incarceration,
because of maltreatment or a lack
of autonomy, which can be
mediated by implementing
restorative programs and creating
a prison environment that fosters
rehabilitative education and
positive decision-making.
Lack of Freedom and Choice

■ trend of increasing harsh policies and


conditions of confinement and a de-
emphasis of rehabilitation
■ Social atrophy - when they lose their
freedom to make decisions, they lose
the ability to initiate and control
behavior and control their own lives
Maltreatment

■ Overcrowding created poor living


conditions, jeopardize prisoner safety,
and limited access to resources and
programs
■ Dade Correctional Institution
■ “Go ahead and kill yourself – no one will miss
you”
■ “You can’t trust what inmates say“
Solitary Confinement

■ Stuart Grassian - interviewed prisoners


in solitary confinement
■ one third were “actively psychotic
and/or acutely suicidal”
■ characterized by hallucinations, panic
attacks, paranoia, hypersensitivity to
external stimuli, difficulties with
thinking, concentration and memory
■ 63% of suicides occurred among
prisoners in solitary confinement
Rehabilitation

■ Needs staff with meaningful training


■ No punishment, show an example of
what should be done
■ Less drab living conditions
■ Teach how to manage emotions, heal
from trauma, change patterns of
violence or addiction
Norway

Norway

■ 2014 - fewer than 4,000 of the 5 million people


there were behind bars
■ Recidivism rates
■ U.S. = 76.6%
■ Norway = 20%
■ Restorative justice: aim to repair the harm caused
by the crime rather than punish
■ Halden Prison
■ Simulate normalcy
Conclusion

■ Main goal of prisons


■ Take in prisoners and release them back to
society as fully-functioning, contributing,
stable people
■ People should not come into prison and
end up in even worse mental and
physical states
■ Programs should be implemented to
help those suffering from mental
disabilities, and actually teach them
skills to return to society
References Cited

Breslow, James M. "What Does Solitary Confinement Do To Your Mind?" PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, 22 Apr. 2014.
Web. 17 Apr. 2017.
Daniel, Anasseril E. "Care of the Mentally Ill in Prisons: Challenges and Solutions." Journal of the American Academy of
Psychiatry and the Law Online. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online, 01 Dec. 2007.
Web. 03 Apr. 2017.
Haney, Craig. "The Psychological Impact of Incarceration: Implications for Post-Prison Adjustment." ASPE. University of
California, Santa Cruz, Dec. 2001. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.
Hayes, Lindsay M. "Suicide Prevention in Correctional Facilities: Reflections and Next Steps." Individual Focus, Community
Perspective. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.
Khazan, Olga. "Most Prisoners Are Mentally Ill." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 07 Apr. 2015. Web. 19 Mar.
2017.
"Many With Serious Mental Illness Go Untreated." PsycEXTRA Dataset (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.
Metzner, Jeffrey L., and Jamie Fellner. "Solitary Confinement and Mental Illness in U.S. Prisons: A Challengefor Medical
Ethics." Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online. Journal of the American Academy of
Psychiatry and the Law Online, 01 Mar. 2010. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.
Press, Eyal. "The Torturing of Mentally Ill Prisoners." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.
"Prisoner Rehabilitation and Reentry Program in Prisons and Jails |." RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 04Apr. 2017.
Sterbenz, Christina. "Why Norway's Prison System Is so Successful." Business Insider. Business Insider, 11 Dec. 2014.
Web. 12 Apr. 2017.

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