Mental Illness More Prominent Among Criminal Offenders Than General Population

The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that as many as "one in four adults" in the U.S. or about "26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older" have some sort of mental disorder each year (2007, Mental Disorders in America, para. 1). Furthermore, about 45 percent of those individuals suffer from two or more mental disorders at the same time (National Institute of Mental Health, 2007, Mental Disorders in America, para. 1). The rate of mental illness among American prisoners, however, is even more disturbing: 60% of prisoners in local jails, 49% of those in State prisons, and 40% of inmates in Federal prisons display symptoms of a mental disorder or disorders (James & Glaze, 2006, Symptoms of mental disorder highest among jail inmates, para. 1). The following compares the prevalence of some common mental illnesses among U.S. prisoners vs. the general public (James & Glaze, 2006, Symptoms of mental disorder highest among jail inmates, para. 1):

Symptoms of mental disorders among inmates:

Major depressive disorder-23.5% of State, 16.0% of Federal, 29.7% of local

Mania disorder-43.2% of State, 35.1% of Federal, and 54.5% of local

Psychotic disorder-15.4% of State, 10.2% of Federal, and 23.9% of local

Symptoms of mental disorders among adults in U.S. general public:

Major depression-7.9%

Mania disorder-1.8%

Psychotic disorder-3.1%

The Reality Behind These Numbers

On Oct. 22, 2003, Human Rights Watch released a report that revealed that our prison system in the United States is "not only serving as a warehouse for the mentally ill, but, by relying on extremely restrictive housing for mentally ill prisoners, it is acting as an incubator for worse illness and psychiatric breakdowns" (Kanapaux, 2004, para. 3). Unfortunately, people that are mentally ill usually are arrested and imprisoned more often than those that do not suffer from mental illness because if they do not receive adequate treatment, their condition may cause behavior that is illegal or may be dangerous to others (Kanapaux, 2004). Other factors that might cause so many more individuals with mental illnesses to be incarcerated in recent years include the following: (1) less mentally ill people are being institutionalized, so they may not be receiving the restraint and treatment that many of these people so desperately need, and (2) when mentally ill offenders are imprisoned, few receive the proper treatment while in jail or prison, making it much more likely that they will repeat their behavior since nothing was done to address the root problem (Lamb & Weinberger, 1998).

Dire Need for Change

In the end, even though many experts in the criminal justice and mental health fields are finally realizing that a startling number of criminal offenders suffer from some sort of mental disorder, there still remain many problems in dealing with these individuals, especially those with severe mental illness. For instance, very few jails and prisons have adequate facilities and programs to treat mentally ill inmates, and funding for such facilities and programs is scarce. Furthermore, severely mentally ill offenders are still usually sent to jail or prison, rather than to a secure treatment institution that could focus on treating these individuals instead of punishing them. And finally, even if criminal offenders find the proper treatment and care while they are incarcerated, they still have the problem of finding adequate treatment within the community. Sadly, these individuals often cannot find help through many mental health programs within their community because they have a criminal record (Kanapaux, 2004). Thus, it is clear that something must be done to help mentally ill offenders receive proper treatment and change how both the justice system and the community treat these individuals.

References:

James, D. J., & Glaze, L. E. (2006). Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report: Mental Health Problems of Prison and Jail Inmates. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics Web site: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/mhppji.pdf

Kanapaux, W. (2004, January). Guilty of mental illness. Psychiatric Times, 21(1). Retrieved October 11, 2007, from http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p040101a.html

Lamb, H. R., & Weinberger, L. E. (1998, April). Persons with severe mental illness in jails and prisons: A review. Psychiatric Services, 49, 483-492. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from http://psychservices.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/49/4/483

National Institute of Mental Health. (2007). The numbers count: Mental disorders in America. Retrieved October 11, 2007, from National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health Web site: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america.shtml#Intro

Wilkinson, R. A. (2000, September 21). Testimony on offenders with mental illness in the criminal justice system (Summary). Retrieved October 11, 2007, from Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Web site: http://www.drc.state.oh.us/web/Articles/article70.htm