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The Shift from Mental Health Institutions to Incarceration

The rates for those incarcerated with mental illnesses continues to climb. Research shows that between 10-35% of all inmates struggle with serious mental health diseases, and these numbers are only going to worsen. A very realistic cause of this would be the fact that the number of mental health hospitals continues to decrease. In 1965 the average amount of beds in a mental health institution was around 451,000, by 1985 this number severely decreased to a concerning 177,000 (McCorkle 53). During this time the number of inmates in United States Prisons and jails just about doubled in most cases. This research makes it easy to presume that the people that should have been getting serious mental help were simply being put into correctional facilities because that is where they were easily accommodated. Many of the issues we see today stem from upbringing. Economic status and home life understandably have an effect on young people, and as they grow up they do not see anyway out of what seems to be a never ending incarceration rates. To those who grew up poor, prison was obviously not preferred but at least it was a guaranteed roof over one’s head, a bed to sleep in, and three meals a day. Studies show that especially those who are convicted of drug related crimes, or have a history of drug use sustain deeper neurological damage which presumably plays a role in the overwhelming amount of  convicts that struggle mentally. Most jails and prisons do offer some sort of substance abuse program. The question now becomes whether or not these programs are actually helping these people or just temporarily fixing the issue. Obviously, while in prison people do not have access to the drugs they could have previously been hooked on, so does this mean they are really addressing the issue? Once these past drug abusers are released from prison it will be easier than ever to relapse due to the overwhelming nature of trying to adjust back to normal life after serving their sentence. The problem of funds arise when dealing with the United States prison and jail systems. Some Americans believe we invest too much money into our correctional facilities. Considering the rates that continue to grow due to those who are incarcerated, money has to be put into continuing to renovate these facilities in order to work for the growing number of inmates. On the other hand, some believe that more money could be put into these facilities, an example being the psychological help. If the number of mental health institutions continue to decline, and we are putting the people that need serious help into jails and prisons then the resources needed to help the root of the problem for most convicts should be revamped. If America was focused on improving permanently instead of temporally when it comes to the mentally ill inside our correctional facilities, then the rates of recidivism, or the rate of jail/prison re-entry may decrease as a result as well. If this information is taken into consideration we may see decreasing incarceration rates, as opposed to what seems to be our doomed future.