Prisons as Dumping Grounds: The Mental Health Crisis Behind Bars

When most people think about criminal activity and prisoners, they think of individuals who are dangerous and violent. However, a large portion of those who commit crimes and end up in prison are mentally ill or without any other means of survival. Prisons have become a sort of dumping ground for the mentally ill. Over the last three decades, communities have provided fewer and fewer mental facilities, and as a result, prisons have become the new place in which to house them. In fact, the largest number of mentally ill individuals are not in hospitals; they are held in prisons. To be exact, 25 percent of all state prison beds are occupied by the mentally ill. 1 

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The prison takes all kinds, including paranoid schizophrenics and manic depressives. There are not enough healthcare officials to give proper treatment, so naturally, drugs are implemented as a quick fix. The problem is that the mentally ill are the most likely to break the rules because of their unpredictability. After breaking rules, the mentally ill are sent into segregation. Up to 50% of the mentally ill are in segregation. 2 

In a place where all power has been taken away, animals (in general) show the necessity of needing control. While in solitary confinement, some prisoners will cut themselves, go on hunger strikes, or bang their heads against the wall just to feel some sort of control. Some may find this activity disturbing and self-defeating, because it is. However, the point is not health or well-being; it is about control, and especially for mentally disturbed individuals, this feeling of control justifies the means. Many doctors will note that it relieves the stress of the mental condition and gives an activity to an inmate void of all other types of stimulus. 

Many experts note, and it is easy to see why, the mentally ill will only get worse being put into isolation without being rehabilitated. A person going to prison with a mental disorder will only further deteriorate their condition. The “lock them up and throw away the key” notion can no longer work. By doing this, American society is creating a society of mentally ill, violent, vicious, and unapologetic monsters. Society does itself justice by preparing criminals, prisoners, and the mentally ill for their return to society. The prison system needs to give prisoners, criminals, and the mentally ill the ability, motivation, and encouragement to rehabilitate themselves. However, this is not the model that the American prison system follows at all. 

1, 2.  “Lockdown: Prison Nation.” National Geographic. Explorer. DVD. 2006

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