It is easy to say that when a person goes to jail “they are now a problem of the state and no longer society’s problem to deal with.” It’s even easier to forget about them and wash our hands of what some may consider the “problem children” of life. What is not as easy, however, is for all citizens to understand that the mental health challenges incarcerated people face have the potential to impact us all.
Life has afforded me the luxury of never having to deal with any type of incarceration; but, I’ve seen what happens to some of those affected by mental illness who have been spent time behind the wall. There is no doubt that when a criminal act is committed, it must be dealt with. The question here is “are we dealing with incarcerated people in a way that we can separate those with mental illness so they get the help they need?”
Once a person is thrust back into a world that looks at them more like a criminal than a person who has a behavioral health condition that landed them there in the first place, it can be daunting for them and others around them. Without proper care prior to and during incarceration, they are less likely to get the care they need once released. These same people may often become even worse in their condition left untreated due to the conditions they face in prison. For them, serving their time is not the debt paid back to society we expect, but instead another layer in an already complicated fight they battle for mental peace and wellness. Like anything else that has a negative outcome, this can spread to those of us in society in the way of additional behaviors that impact us like more crime, self-harm, and harm to others. To reflect, wouldn’t it be great to live in a world where the stigma attached to mental illness (keeping our focus on the word illness) that impedes many treatments and early interventions was no longer an issue?
As it stands, if we are honest we realize that we have a mostly individualistic culture in America wherein history has shown that this mindset is more often detrimental than helpful. When it’s all about me, I don’t have time to worry about them right? Our prison population compared to that around the world is beyond anything our forefathers could have ever imagined so it really is about all of us. There has to be more accountability for everyone including those in charge of these prisons. We must realize that those going into prison usually come back out and if not treated properly you, I or someone we care for may very well pay the price. My call to action today is to write your public officials and find out their stance on mental health treatment in the prison systems. Taxpayer dollars are going towards housing prisoners anyway, shouldn’t we want to reduce the rate of recidivism ? If this is one of the many ways to do so, then we can all become advocates for better policies.
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