The Effects Of Inccarceration On The Criminal Justice System
analytical Essay
1662 words
Reformation on Criminal Justice System
United States of America is governed by set of rules and regulations that sentences, defends, prosecutes and punishes individuals convicted of crime. Without this system, the world will be difficult to live. That is why a critical look must be undertaken to make sure individuals convicted or suspected of crime are put in their right places. The current criminal justice system has been known to incarcerate individuals who after serving their time ends up back to prison or more often engage in the same offense that ended them up in prison (Lehrer 26). Most mentally disabled inmates are kept under little or no supervision and live with inmates who has no mental illness. Others are locked up with these mentally
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In this essay, the author
- Argues that a critical look must be undertaken to make sure individuals convicted or suspected of crime are put in their right places.
- Explains that the criminal justice system must embark on the isolation of inmates. recreational and educational activities will keep them busy enough to focus on what’s best for them rather than engaging in unnecessary behaviors.
- Argues that reform on america's correctional system will be effective if inmates with mental issues are isolated from those without mental problems.
- Argues that the correctional system should not allow inmates convicted of crime to be put in solitary confinement for such a long period in the name of punishing them for their wrongful behaviors.
- Argues that isolating inmates has always been the best for their fellow prisoners and society in general. long-term isolation will only do harm to themselves and the public should they serve their time and leave prison.
- Explains that the justice system has caused lots of problems to individuals, families, and the general public. isolating inmates with mental issues from those without will help fix our broken systems and punish wrongdoers momentarily.
This does not help individuals morally and emotionally because they lack social interactions with other peers and rarely engage in any physical activities. The effects of solitary confinement differs from state to state as well as their current statuses regarding crime and or who runs that specific city. For instance in Coates’ section 6 and 7 of his article, “The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration,” he discusses a story about Odell Newton who had served a little over four decades in solitary confinement hoping to be released and freed but his freedom was snatched away because the program work release had been cancelled due to a convicted murderers escape while visiting his son. His life eventually was dependent on Maryland’s governance who determined who’s qualified for parole even after Supreme Courts’ ruling, the city managed to take some laws into their own hands. Coate further explains, “Parole for lifers declined after Marvin Mandel’s last term ended in 1979…” which means the city’s parole for lifers were dependent upon their government. Also, Alexandra emphasized in her article, “What 28-Years of Solitary Confinement Does to the Mind” long years of solitary confinement breeds life-long effects on inmates. She explains Dr. Terry Kupers, a professor in Berkeley California who interviews individuals in solitary confinement stated the effects vary from person to person but there are some basic symptoms amongst most inmates. Dr. Terry discussed some in their first three months experience high anxiety that causes panic attack, anger, paranoia that causes disordered thinking. This and many others he explained were severe effects of long term
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- The Importance Of Mass Imprisonmentexplanatory essayMass incarceration in the United States has been on the rise over the years. It is important to know that all human rights emerge from the dignity of humans and that the international human rights law states that the necessity of penal systems is to allow, encourage and facilitate rehabilitation. Incarceration is therefore the act of putting an individual in prison or any other kind of enclosure while rehabilitation is the process of facilitating and restoring recovery from an injury and in this case, behavioural correction. And thus prison is one of the sanctions available for the courts as a way of dealing with criminal offences. Imprisonment is one of the sternest punishments in the modern day. The essay below seeks to delve into the statistics
In this essay, the author
- Explains that mass incarceration in the united states has been on the rise over the years.
- Explains that the incarceration rate has increased from 106 inmates to 137 per 100,000 in the 20th and 21st centuries.
- Explains that placing a prisoner in secure housing units affects their normal status and reduces one's physical capabilities.
- Explains that solitary confinement is a form of punishment beyond incarceration for the inmate, and human rights activists say that it is inhumane.
- Explains that super-max prisons provide long-term segregated housing for inmates who pose the greatest threat to national and international security.
- Explains that there have been more than 2,000 false convictions in the past 23 years. there are cases where evidence is later recanted by witnesses after an individual has served a considerable amount of time in prison.
- Narrates how they were charged and convicted of armed bank robbery in first degree. after 3 months in the gang, it was time for their assignment.
- Opines that life in prison is tough. there are a lot of fights and some end up being fatal but we have to cope and know how to live.
- Narrates how their friend was beaten up by another gang at the prison and later the wardens took them to the infirmary.
- Opines that he should have been given tasks to serve the community and other labour out of jail because being in jail poses an even greater danger to him.
1665 wordsRead More - The Criminal Justice System And Mental Illnessanalytical essayPrior to taking this course, I generally believed that people were rightly in prison due to their actions. Now, I have become aware of the discrepancies and flaws within the Criminal Justice system. One of the biggest discrepancies aside from the imprisonment rate between black and white men, is mental illness. Something I wished we covered more in class. The conversation about mental illness is one that we are just recently beginning to have. For quite a while, mental illness was not something people talked about publicly. This conversation has a shorter history in American prisons. Throughout the semester I have read articles regarding the Criminal Justice system and mental illness in the United States. Below I will attempt to describe how the Criminal Justice system fails when they are encountered by people with mental illnesses.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that they have become aware of the discrepancies and flaws within the criminal justice system.
- Explains that they wanted to look more into mental illness within prison walls because this affects them personally. they have a family member who suffers from bipolar disorder and have had numerous run ins with the police due to her illness.
- Opines that criminal justice officials understand the situation in their prisons regarding mental health but have not taken action to fix it.
- Explains that the community mental health act in the late sixties and early seventies decided to close state funded mental health institutions. they realized the abuse going on in state institutions and wanted to bring people closer to the community.
- Explains that the failure of the community mental health act left these people with nowhere to go. instead of pressing the political leaders to help, they put them in jails.
- Analyzes how the media has chronicled numerous accounts of men and women with mental illnesses shot down by the cops or arrested.
- Opines that mr. pean's story is important because he rightly went to the hospital, a safe area, for his condition. hospitals are seen as safe havens, but just like numerous institutions, they are becoming more dangerous.
- Analyzes how unfair drug laws were targeting minorities in the country. reagan took funds away from agencies responsible for drug addiction while budgets for law enforcement grew.
- Argues that the money for treatment was used for local police due to the fact that more of the policies resources were being used by people with mental illness.
1108 wordsRead More - Solitary Isolation In Prisons On The Prison Systemexplanatory essayNot only does the United States incarcerate more people, but it also exposes more individuals to solitary confinement than any other nation. It is estimated that about 84,000 of those people are exposed to the harsh conditions of solitary in U.S. prison systems (Public). After a short period of time in segregation a person will start to disintegrate mentally and emotionally (Jeffreys). Over the past 150 years of research it has been concluded that any more than ten to fifteen days of segregation results in a distinct set of symptoms including emotional, cognitive, and social issues, causing “harmful psychological effects that can become irreversible” (Public and Lueders). A study done in 2013 gathered information from eighteen states and found that 3,100 inmates had been held in segregation for one or more years, including 200 inmates held in segregation for more than ten years (Lueders). Sadly, those who develop symptoms of agitation, paranoia, and outbursts of violence have an increased chance of becoming permanently damaged even after they are released from solitary (Jeffreys). Inmates held in solitary for long periods of time without any human interaction may begin to develop distorted personal boundaries, which make it almost impossible to have normal human interactions once they are released, becoming incapable of self-management.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that solitary confinement in the u.s. prison system affects the brain and mind which can lead to behavioral changes and mental illness.
- Explains that the united states began experimenting with solitary confinement over 200 years ago based on the belief that silence and solitude would motivate inmates to live a socially responsible life once they were released from prison.
- Explains that inmates are handcuffed, shackled at the waist, and placed in leg irons. they are not allowed to read, watch television, listen to radio, or engage in any other activities without permission and supervision.
- Explains that the united states has a higher incarceration rate than any other nation and exposes more people to solitary confinement.
- Explains that sensory deprivation leads to extreme prison psychosis, such as uncontrollable rage and paranoia, which sends a human time bomb into the community once the inmate is released.
- Explains that solitary confinement disrupts natural human behavior patterns and prevents violence in the general prison population.
1187 wordsRead More - Research Paper On Solitary Confinementanalytical essayYet, solitary confinement is still considered necessary in order to maintain control within the prison and among inmates. Solitary confinement is seen as an effective method in protecting specific prisoners and altering violent/aggressive disobedient behaviors, (Maria A. Luise, Solitary Confinement: Legal and Psychological Considerations, 15 New Eng. J. on Crim. & Civ. Confinement 301, 324 (1989) p. 301). There is some discrepancy among researchers as to the varying effects on inmates who have undergone an extensive solitary confinement stay. Most researchers find that inmates who had no previous form of mental illness suffer far less than those who do, yet most if not all of these individuals still experience some difficulties with concentration and memory, agitation, irritability, and will have issues tolerating external stimuli, (Stuart Grassian, Psychiatric Effects of Solitary Confinement, 22 Wash. U. J. L. & Pol’y 325 (2006) p. 332). Although these detrimental psychiatric repercussions of solitary confinement currently appear, several researches have made suggestions as to how these may be avoided. These requirements being that
In this essay, the author
- Argues that the americans with disabilities act (1990) should be cited for solitary confinement, specifically for the mentally ill.
- Explains the detrimental effects of solitary confinement on non-mentally ill inmates, but it is still considered necessary to maintain control within the prison.
- Argues that solitary confinement, especially within supermax prisons, is defined by its long stays and it is through these lengthy stays that ‘prisoner reform’ is said to be achieved.
- Explains that the supreme court has yet to definitively state whether or not solitary confinement is unconstitutional.
- Explains that farmer v. brennan's two-part test found that conditions within the shu met the requirements to constitute the solitary confinement practice as "cruel and unusual".
1033 wordsRead More - The Harmful Effects Of Long Harm Segregation In Prisonsanalytical essayIf a person convicted of a crime shows no signs of being mentally ill when entering a prison which enforces the long-term use solitary confinement, by the time they completed their sentence and are released, their mental health will have been severely compromised. Studies have shown that the long-term use of segregation in prisons can cause a wide variety of phycological effects such as anxiety, psychosis, depression, perceptual distortions, and paranoia, often leading to a desire to self-harm or in more severe cases suicide. Not only is it wrong to hold a criminal in solitary confinement for any longer then fifteen days, it is unconstitutional. Although many believe the use of solitary
In this essay, the author
- Explains the harmful effects of long-term solitary confinement in prisons, including anxiety, psychosis, depression, perceptual distortions and paranoia, leading to a desire to self-harm or suicide.
- Explains that solitary confinement is confined to a small cell, with no windows or view of the outside world, and with limited access to fresh air or the outdoors.
- Explains that administrative confinement has been used for a brief period of time, but administrative segregation has lasted for up to six years. bill c-56 of the corrections and conditional release act and the abolition of early parole act set presumptive release by 21 days.
- Explains that solitary confinement has a negative impact on the health and well-being of prisoners, especially for those with pre-existing mental health disorders.
- Argues that solitary confinement violates the charter of rights and freedoms, including the right to life, liberty, and security of the person in prison.
- Opines that the passing of bill c-56 is a step in the right direction, allowing for there to be rules in regards to segregation.
1018 wordsRead More - Pros And Cons Of Mass Incarcerationanalytical essaySolitary confinement was created by the Quakers who thought prisoners would use the time to reflect and study the bible. Even they thought it was a bad idea after seeing its effects. It finally went out of practice for awhile but since is used around the world for people the guards don’t want to deal with. With solitary confinement a person is kept in a room the size of a king sized bed for up to 23 hours a day. Which can cause severe and permanent brain damage. In one case of Kalief Browder "He was held in solitary for almost two years before his case was completely thrown out. He never even went to trial, but still suffered through solitary. After he was released, his family said he would just hole up in his room for days. He committed suicide,” (Gonnerman). He was arrested at sixteen years old for robbery and this is what happened. Human are social creatures, take that away and it can cause mass hallucinations, and
In this essay, the author
- Argues that mass incarceration doesn't work, solitary confinement should be abolished, and the correction corporation of america is making money off the prisons.
- Opines that mass incarceration doesn't work, since it's had zero effect on crime since the 2000s.
- Argues that mass incarceration is racist because black men make up 40 percent of the prison population. bullock faces eight criminal charges, including rioting and malicious destruction of property, and may also face years in prison.
- Explains that mass incarceration creates and sustains poverty. when released from prison on parole, a person has no money but is forced to pay for their ankle monitor, and other bills from when they were imprisoned.
- Explains that solitary confinement is a form of torture that has no place in modern society. it was created by quakers who thought prisoners would use the time to reflect and study the bible.
- Analyzes how prisons are set up to fail, with only 12 college degree programs and a waiting list of 10,000 people. people who want to better themselves in prison can't because we have given them zero opportunity.
- Explains that the correction corporation of america (cca) is making big bucks off of the private prison all over america.
- Opines that prisons keep the bad guys away, and while that may be true, that's all they're doing. while some deserve to be there, others deserve different forms of punishment.
- Opines that our prison system stinks. we need to work to improve it so they have a way to better themselves and get back into society. if not, prison will continue with mass incarnation, which doesn't work, is racist, and creates poverty.
1057 wordsRead More - The Criminalization of the Mentally Illopinionated essayThe United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and of that over sixty percent of jail inmates reported having a mental health issue and 316,000 of them are severely mentally ill (Raphael & Stoll, 2013). Correctional facilities in the United States have become the primary mental health institutions today (Adams & Ferrandino, 2008). This imprisonment of the mentally ill in the United States has increased the incarceration rate and has left those individuals medically untreated and emotionally unstable while in jail and after being released. Better housing facilities, medical treatment and psychiatric counseling can be helpful in alleviating their illness as well as upon their release. This paper will explore the increasing incarceration rate of the mentally ill in the jails and prisons of the United States, the lack of medical services available to the mentally ill, the roles of the police, the correctional officers and the community and the revolving door phenomenon (Soderstrom, 2007). It will also review some of the existing and present policies that have been ineffective and present new policies that can be effective with the proper resources and training. The main objective of this paper is to illustrate that the criminalization of the mentally ill has become a public health problem and that our policy should focus more on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that the criminalization of the mentally ill has become a public health problem and that our policy should focus more on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
- Opines that the deinstitutionalization of state mental hospitals has left many individuals untreated and in the community where there come under police scrutiny due to their odd behavior.
- Explains the lack of medical services in the prisons and jails, and the high risk of decomposition and deterioration.
- Explains that the criminal justice system is unable to handle mentally ill inmates without mental health professionals and adequate training to correctional officials.
- Opines that a proposal to new policies and applying factors to existing policies can be effective in maintaining the mentally ill.
- Opines that mental health professionals and the police and correctional officers working together are the most positive reinforcement.
- Opines that if jails and prisons focus on treating mentally ill inmates, they can save money and maintain public safety.
- Explains that homelessness is a major factor with the mentally ill incarcerated. correctional staff releases an inmate when the sentence is served, without further thought of their mental capacity, while mental health professionals rehabilitate the offender back into the community.
- Explains that mental health courts, medical assessing policies, and discharge planning and linkage models are effective, but time-consuming and costly.
- Recommends a mandatory mental health screening on all incoming detainees for mental disorders, pharmacological treatment, group and recreational therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy.
- Argues that policies tend to have negative aspects especially when it comes to an assortment of individuals. liberal ideology favors treating the mentally ill and placing them into home based community settings.
- Explains adams, k., hughes, s. and markowitz, f. e. on mental illness, crime, and violence.
3759 wordsRead More - Slavery Summary: Sam Mandez And Solitary Confinementanalytical essayViolent inmate and inmates who cannot be with the general population could suffer from a multitude of mental or behavioral disorders. The problem is, however, that solitary confinement does not fix behavior or mental issues. In fact, solitary makes them worse. PBS’s Frontline (2014) reported on a few studies of isolation and hopelessness monkeys. They reported “In one notorious study from the 1950s, University of Wisconsin psychologist Harry Harlow placed rhesus monkeys inside a custom-designed solitary chamber nicknamed ‘the pit of despair.’…. Harlow also found that monkeys kept in isolation wound up ‘profoundly disturbed, given to staring blankly and rocking in place for long periods, circling their cages repetitively, and mutilating themselves.’ Most readjusted eventually, but not those that had been caged the longest. ‘Twelve months of isolation almost obliterated the animals socially,” If social isolation has this level effect on monkeys, why are we doing it to human beings? In a similar study, conducted by McGill University, researchers found similar affects occurred when human were isolate and deprived of their senses. They wrote, “McGill University paid a group of male graduate students to stay in small chambers equipped with only a bed for an experiment on sensory deprivation. They could leave to use the bathroom, but that’s all. They wore goggles and earphones to limit their sense of sight
In this essay, the author
- Explains that sam mandez was imprisoned for a murder he allegedly committed at the age of 14. he was put into solitary confinement for minor disciplinary issues.
- Argues that solitary confinement does not fix behavior or mental issues, but it makes them worse.
- Analyzes the psychological torture of solitary confinement and how it affects people.
- Argues that solitary confinement is a deterrent. it exacerbates behavior disorders and can cause social anxiety.
- Opines that solitary confinement is a barbaric form of torture that distorts human being's minds, reduces their ability to contribute to society, and increases over recidivism.
1506 wordsRead More - Incarceration of The Mentally Illanalytical essayThe United States criminal justice system has been continuously increasing incarceration among individuals who suffer from a sever mental illness. As of 2007 individuals with severe mental illness were over twice as likely to be found in prisons than in society (National Commission of Correctional Health Care, 2002, as cited in Litschge &Vaughn, 2009). The offenses that lead to their commitment in a criminal facility, in the majority of cases, derive from symptoms of their mental illness instead of deviant behavior. Our criminal justice system is failing those who would benefit more from the care of a psychiatric rehabilitation facility or psychiatric hospital by placing them in correctional facilities or prisons.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the criminal justice system is failing those who would benefit more from psychiatric rehabilitation by placing them in correctional facilities or prisons.
- Explains the complexity of defining a mental disorder in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.
- Explains that a 2006 bureau of justice statistics report found that over half of the inmates in both prisons and jails had mental health problems.
- Explains that james and glaze (2006) separated their results by gender. they found that 55 percent of males in state prisons displayed characteristics of mental illness, 43.6 percent in federal prisons, and 62.8 percent
- Explains that in state, federal, and local prisons, hispanic inmates experienced consistently lower rates of symptoms of mental illness compared to blacks.
- Explains that inmates, ages 24 and younger, were at the highest risk of having a mental illness consistently in all levels of institutions.
- Cites litschge & vaughn's findings that incarceration of mentally ill people increased in the 1970s. over-crowding in hospitals and housing regulations led to homelessness.
- Explains that the federal government took responsibility of caring for the mentally ill from the mid 1940’s until the 1980 presidential election of regan.
- Analyzes how james and glaze (2006) found that inmates with mental health problems were twice as likely to have been homeless in the year preceding their arrest than those without mental problems.
- Analyzes amanda pustilnik's findings that the criminal justice system functions as the united states' default asylum system.
- Explains that many oppressed groups are affected by the unnecessary and excessive incarceration of the mentally ill. women, low socioeconomic status, and homelessness increase the likelihood of arrest due to a mental illness.
- Explains that social justice is the second ethical principle found in the national association of social workers code of ethics (nasw).
- Explains the american psychiatric association's diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.
- Explains the clinical specificity hypothesis, which states that psycho-pathological profiles determine different types of psychosocial functioning and lead to particular interactions with the social environment, especially with health care services use.
- Cites bloom, j., côté, and lesage, a. clinical and sociodemographic profiles of male inmates with severe mental illness.
1782 wordsRead More - The Negative Effects Of Solitary Prisonation In Prisonsexplanatory essaySolitary confinement does not help challenging prisoners in the long run. Solitary confinement actually has the potential to cause inmates to lose their ability to control and manage their anger. If an inmate continues to be violent, the result is a longer time in solitary confinement. Solitary confinement is inhumane and should be called torture. Putting and keeping an individual in solitary confinement puts them at a very serious risk of developing a mental illness, which may not be recoverable. Solitary confinement causes many effects that range in severity; it is not something that inmates should be subjected to
In this essay, the author
- Opines that mental illness in prisons goes unaddressed and ignored throughout the country. prison involvement itself can contribute to increased suicide.
- Describes mental illness as impairment of an individual's normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning caused by social, psychological, biochemical, genetic or other factors, such as infection or head trauma. overcrowding is a complex phenomenon.
- Explains that super-max prisons use solitary confinement as both a form of punishment and therapy.
- Explains that solitary confinement can cause anxiety, depression, anger, cognitive turmoil, hallucinations, obsession, and fixation. it is inhumane and should be called torture.
- Explains that death row inmates are often overlooked in the mental health area, as they suffer from brain trauma, physical and/or sexual abuse. james johnson, a vietnam veteran, suffered from post traumatic stress disorder.
- Explains gallemore and panton's 1972 study of death row inmates showed high feelings of depression and hopelessness, yet severe disturbances were not observed.
- Opines that inmates/offenders entering into the prison system need to be screened for mental health and substance abuse disorders. screenings would help identify individuals who could potentially hurt or endanger themselves and others.
- Explains that some prisons have rehabilitation programs for inmates that need it, but the therapy sometimes doesn't help. brandy lee's strict program in san francisco jails reduced violent re-offences by over 50 percent.
- Opines that medication can help inmates with severe mental illnesses, but staff won't try to offer different medication or therapy if an inmate refuses it. treatment for those who are mentally ill needs to be more serious in prisons.
- Explains that the eighth amendment applies to inmates with severe mental illnesses. it is not acceptable or humane to not give the proper treatment to those who are mentally ill or mentally unstable.
- Opines that prison systems need to be more mindful and aware of those with severe mental illnesses because it affects everybody, not just the inmates.
- Opines that all prisons need to take mental illnesses more seriously. solitary confinement is a dangerous way of therapy, and tends to only have negative effects on the inmate.
1427 wordsRead More