Example Of Prison Violence And Mental Illness As A Contemporary Issue Within Contemporary Criminal Justice Systems Essay

The article named ‘The Mentally Ill in the Criminal Justice System: An overview of historical causes and suggested remedies’ by Arthur J.Lurigio and Andrew Harris examines the number of persons with serious mental illness (PSMIs) that are present in the criminal justice system. According to statistical data, PSMIs are found in large numbers in the correctional facilities, making up to 15-20% of the prison population. The cost of keeping and processing the PSMIs in the criminal justice system is proportional to the safety and security of the general population. Such a large amount of PSMIs has led to drastic changes in the criminal justice system where now the need of hiring mental health professionals, doctors, and the staff is necessary for police departments, prisons, and parole agencies and during the probation period. Moreover, specialized programs for PSMIs such as mental health courts are a necessity so they can be treated according to their respective condition. The care they are given needs to be extended to introduce efficient screening tests for psychiatric disorders, adopt professional treatment plans, provide funding and research the effectiveness of current programs on PSMIs. (J.Lurigio and Harris, n.d).
The article in Forbes by Neil Howe discusses the topic with a view on the growing awareness about mental illness and violence in America and how the public realizes the need for there to be more funding for treatment of people who are either caught by the police and are suffering from mental illness or those who are inmates in prison and they need help in treatment. Some states, for examples Virginia, have increased their funding for causes like community service, crisis services, and hospitals that serve the needs of the mentally ill who indulge in violence. Moreover, 10 times the number of mentally ill people is locked up when they should be in treatment facilities. This raises questions about the efficacy of the criminal justice system and how the mentally ill need to be treated differently. (Howe, 2015).

References

Howe, Neil. (2015). “Violence and mental illness.” Forbes. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/neilhowe/2015/01/19/violence-and-mental-illness/#2b6ebee21aa8
J.Lurigio, Arthur, Harris, Andrew. (n.d). ‘The Mentally Ill in the Criminal Justice System: An
overview of historical causes and suggested remedies.’ Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.500.8554&rep=rep1&type=pdf