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The Criminalization of People With Mental Illness
People with mental illness are overrepresented in our nation’s jails and prisons. About 2 million times each year, people with serious mental illness are booked into jails. Nearly 2 in 5 people who are incarcerated have a history of mental illness (37% in state and federal prisons and 44% held in local jails). Many people with mental illness who are incarcerated are held for committing non-violent, minor offenses related to the symptoms of untreated illness (disorderly conduct, loitering, trespassing, disturbing the peace) or for offenses like shoplifting and petty theft.
In America, jails and prisons have largely taken the position of mental health facilities. They are not, however, coordinated, supported, or designed to provide adequate mental health services. Only 3 out of 5 (63%) of people with a history of mental illness receive it while being detained in state and federal prisons, compared to less than half (45%) of those with a history of mental illness who are being held in local jails.
Due to years of ineffective mental health policy, law enforcement is now on the front lines of responding to mental health emergencies, and jails and prisons have evolved into the new asylums.
People who require care are forced into the criminal justice and corrections systems, not the public health system, where they belong, by deinstitutionalization, outdated treatment laws that demand violence before intervention, discriminatory federal Medicaid funding practices, and persistent underfunding of state mental health systems in the United States.
There has been a significant influx of people with mental illnesses into the American jail system as a result of the link between criminality and mental illness.
According to data collected by the U.S. Department of Justice, in mid-2005 there were 2,186,230 prisoners in local jails and state and federal prisons in the United States.
According to estimates, between 7 and 16 percent of those convicts suffer from severe psychiatric problems. This amount is comparable to the populations of cities like Tacoma, Washington, Richmond, Virginia, Montgomery, Alabama, and Akron, Ohio.
Community resources meant to replace inpatient care have not developed at a rate that is commensurate with the afflicted population, nor have they received sufficient funding to do so.
People who are mentally ill are more likely to be the victims of violent crime than the perpetrators of it. For many individuals, contact with the criminal justice system may represent the first occasion for any treatment services Along with the unfathomable human suffering, incarceration's negative effects on mental health also result in a considerable financial cost that could be utilized to pay for adequate treatment for people with serious mental illness.
The criminalization of persons with mental illness can be decreased by investing in diversionary tactics like mental health courts, alternatives to jail, and giving judges, prosecutors, and police the freedom to decide not to prosecute someone with a crime if they have a mental disease.
People with mental illness deserve help, not handcuffs.The unique needs of those with mental illness cannot be adequately served by the criminal justice system. People experiencing symptoms require a mental health response, not a law enforcement reaction. Communities should make investments in evidence-based policies and practices that support the recovery of those with mental illnesses.
As a community talk about how many people are affected by mental illness and let people know that there are treatment options available.
Support someone who needs help.
Volunteer for a local mental health organization.
Attend an awareness walk or other event benefitting the mental health movement
.
Encourage your local politicians to prioritize mental health.
Correct those who use stigmatizing language.