User:Bossmananne/sandbox

Prevalence
Mental health in prison facilities is not a new issue. All mental disorders that are found in the community also occur in prisons, but generally at a higher rate. Nearly ¾ of those who are incarcerated also have a co-occurring substance abuse disorder. Some of the prevalent and most common disorders found in those who are incarcerated are psychosis, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, serious addictions, suicidal depression, and many co-occurring. Another thing about mental health in prisons, is that those who are out, on parole or probation, who suffer from a serious mental disorder, are significantly more likely to be sent back to jail or prison for violating their terms of release. When offenders are being released from jail or prison, they are given a list of things they have to do and when they have to do them by. It is then almost completely up to the offender to make that list of things happen, whether they know how to make them happen, is no one’s business than the offender. Many of those who are incarcerated for long periods of time may have forgotten or just lack the skills it takes to live out in the community on their own. They may not be set up properly to succeed after being released. They may be told to go get substance abuse treatment, or mental health treatment, get a job, find somewhere to live, but they are not shown how to do those things.

Importance
There are gaps in the criminal justice system. The gap is known as the failure to treat and the failure to protect This could be where someone should have gotten some form of treatment but did not. People fall through these gaps every day. For instance, the case of Greg Ulrich. Ulrich walked into a clinic shortly after open, in Buffalo, Minnesota. He was carrying a briefcase that contained bombs and had a handgun. He walked up to the receptionist and pointed his gun at her when she asked him if she could help him with something. He then shot the receptionist and opened fire within the clinic, killing and injuring many people. This day has become known as one of the worst mass shootings in Minnesota’s history. Two years before the tragedy that happened at the clinic in Buffalo, Ulrich made numerous threats to do exactly what he ended up doing. A judge issues a harassment restraining order and within a week, Ulrich violated that order, sending him to court. During a court hearing, Ulrich was found to be mentally ill and incompetent to stand trial. This then led the prosecutor to dismiss the case, which released Ulrich back out into the community, where he would go on to commit a crime, he said he would do. This is an example of a gap case because Ulrich was released from custody with no ordered mental health treatment or supervision. People are falling through the cracks of the justice system every day and are being put at a disadvantage when they are not given the necessary resources and treatment that they need. By improving the resources that we have currently and making them more available, we will be able to have a more suitable justice system that gives people the justice they deserve. If we implement more mental health resources into prisons, then everyone associated with the facility will benefit. Mental illness is a whole prison problem. If we address the problem, the staff, inmates, and visitors will all be safer, and it will improve the environment of the facility.

Implementation
One way we can implement more mental health resources into prison facilities is by having more access to telehealth services. If telehealth was more readily available, there would be more counselors to help treat the large number of inmates. There would also be more of a chance that there is a counselor that you like and get along with. There would now be a way that those who are in solitary confinement can also receive these resources.

We could offer having more post release support. More of this support could mean a lower recidivism rate, because inmates and offenders will have the help that they need. These supports can be worked into parole and probation programs to help set inmates up properly to succeed once they are released. These programs will also help the inmate reintegrate back into society.

We could offer more halfway house style places. These are houses where people can live at. They receive mental health treatment and programing that offers them skills on how to live and succeed. When they are here at these houses, they can get a job to start saving up to possibly get a car, their driver’s license, and eventually a place of their own to live.