Why Are Prisons Our Solution to Mental Illness?
Approximately 20% of inmates have a serious mental illness.
There are 10x more mentally-ill inmates in jail than in state hospitals across the country. There are more mentally-ill individuals in the Los Angeles County Jail than in any psychiatric hospital in the United States. The average stay for mentally-ill inmates in jail is longer than for non–mentally-ill inmates…
…and they are more likely to commit suicide.
People with mental illnesses are overrepresented in American jails, according to the National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. Our jails have replaced hospitals as the primary facility for the mentally ill, and the result is catastrophic. One of the results of this systematic shortcoming is extremely high rates of recidivism.
The Santa Barbara County Sherriff’s Department reports that those experiencing a co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder have an approximate 99% recidivism rate.
Why Recidivism Happens
Over 600,000 individuals are released from prison annually. Three-quarters of them are rearrested within five years of their release.
When prisoners emerge from correctional facilities they typically receive minimal preparation and inadequate assistance and resources, which makes their re-entry into society challenging. These difficulties can be anything from re-entering the workforce, finding affordable housing and barriers in accessing public assistance.
The costs of unsuccessful re-entry and reincarceration negatively impacts communities, families and individuals. So, how former prisoners re-enter their communities — whether it’s successfully, as a contributing member of society, or unsuccessfully — is extremely important.
There are a range of biological and social factors that can increase the rate of relapse and recidivism. Individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders are highly at risk because their symptoms translate to broken laws, for example:
- Addicts tend to have drugs on them
- Trespassing occurs amongst disorientated or disorganized mentally ill
- An episode or breakdown can result in disrupting the peace charges
- Making a false 911 call because of hallucinations is a felony offense
It’s important to remember that it’s not their own fault, it’s the illness and the debilitating symptoms.
This isn’t only a reflection on America’s prison-industrial complex, it shows how healthcare is broken, particularly around mental health — a growing, particularly urgent crisis due to COVID-19’s effect on mental wellness. Considering 1 in 5 Americans suffer from a diagnosable mental illness, the need is ever more pressing.
All we need is a little humanity, and a lot of rethinking about how we help people in need.
