Introduction
The issue of people’s mental health has been extensively discussed in media over the past years. Nowadays, the majority of individuals understand the considerable impact mental health has on their life and try to maintain it in a proper state. Yet, there are populations which often do not receive proper mental health support despite needing such assistance. One of such demographics is the inmates and felons, both those who are confined to prisons and those who are on parole or probation. The United States has the largest prisoner rate per 100,000 of the population in the world, which potentially indicates the scale of the existing problem in the sphere of mental health (Statista, 2021). Moreover, the lack of research on the topic of the effect of mental health on the behavior of inmates thus raises several important questions. For instance, it would be interesting to analyze whether the presence of mental health conditions has any link with inmates’ tendency to re-offend. Additionally, it is also vital to determine whether the treatment plans offered to inmates on different levels have any positive effect on their well-being and behavior.
Research Topic, Hypothesis, and Research Questions
The current paper explores the phenomenon of mental health and its effect on the conduct of individuals sentenced to imprisonment. Specifically, the research topic of the paper is “Does the mental health of an individual affect the recidivism rates in jails or prisons?” Although the topic is not thoroughly researched, it is possible to establish a hypothesis. Thus, the hypothesis of the current paper is that individuals who suffer from mental illness are at a higher risk to recidivate criminal activity. In order to analyze the topic in a proper manner, it is essential to rely on clear research questions. The first question for the current study is the following, “Do inmates who suffer from mental illness have a higher recidivism rate than non-mental health inmates?” The second question is, “Why are treatment plans provided at the state level more effective than treatment plans at the local level?”
The Link Between Mental Health and Recidivism
Recidivism is an issue which is particularly inherent to the American criminal justice system. According to statistics, in the United States, within three years since the release from prison, two out of three former inmates are rearrested, while more than 50% are incarcerated (Benecchi, 2021). Such data demonstrates that there is a clear issue with re-offending in the country, which to a certain extent can be attributed to the conditions offered by the penitentiary system. Essentially, life in prison leaves a significant impact on both the physical and mental health of inmates. While U.S. penitentiary institutions offer health care services to prisoners, they do not encourage them to engage in activities promoting health, such as exercise or taking vitamins. As a result, such factors ultimately contribute to the worsening of the health of inmates and subsequently increase their likelihood of re-offending in the future (Anderson et al., 2018). Essentially, the poor health of inmates can cause them to return to prison after release.
Specifically, the inability of people to protect their health in prison can drive their recidivism. For instance, the study conducted by Link et al. (2019) indicated that people who experienced health issues were more likely to return to prison than those who had normal well-being. The lack of assistance on the part of the penitentiary system in terms of the provision of relevant mental health care services is not the only factor contributing to recidivism. People who were recently released from prison are heavily dependent on their family members’ emotional and material support. As a result of former inmates’ overreliance on their family’s resources, a conflict may arise, worsening mental health or triggering mental illnesses of the recently released prisoner. The lack of support from the family and the breaking of emotional ties can, in turn, cause the person to re-offend.
Thus, it becomes clear that health issues play a major part in the likelihood of offenders engaging in crime once again. Psychopathy is one of the most common mental health disorders among the prison population. The study by Anderson et al. (2018) revealed that psychopathy was one of the key factors contributing to nonviolent and general recidivism. Moreover, research shows that inmates who have a serious mental disorder are more likely to recidivate than offenders with a less serious diagnosis (Bales et al., 2017). Such evidence clearly indicates the influence of mental health problems on recidivism among former inmates.
Mental Health Treatment for Inmates
Based on the fact that mental health issues have a major impact on recidivism, it is reasonable to introduce interventions to provide healthcare services to the inmates in need. One of the key practices in the sphere of mental health support for former offenders is the case management method. Essentially, case management refers to the community-based services delivered by professionals or a team of specialists which are provided to those individuals who require mental health care. As mentioned above, former inmates often suffer from considerable mental health issues and, therefore, can qualify for case management problems. Research shows that case management can improve the quality of life of former inmates with mental illnesses and reduce their engagement in criminal activities (Leutwyler et al., 2017). Moreover, the delivery of such programs on the state level, as opposed to the local one, is more effective since it implies allocating more resources and professionals to execute the initiative.
The treatment of former inmates with mental health problems has clear positive implications not only for their well-being but also for public safety. Therefore, it becomes apparent that mental health interventions must be introduced to the first-offenders of all ages. For instance, the research by Zeola et al. (2017) provided evidence on the topic of the reduction of recidivism among juvenile offenders through relevant healthcare services. Specifically, the researchers discovered that referring young offenders to mental health services had positive effects on lowering the recidivism level, especially for the African American youth (Zeola et al., 2017). Thus, universal referrals to mental health services can be an effective tool in countering the issue of recidivism among people with mental health disorders.
The absence of proper mental healthcare in communities is a factor which causes inmates to avoid addressing their problems. Thus, it would be a sensible decision on the part of the state to introduce psychiatric support to those people who are on probation and those who have a parole sentence. For instance, Weatherburn et al. (2021) assessed the effectiveness of mental health treatment in the case of defendants who had a psychotic illness. The results indicated that the intervention significantly reduced the risk of further offending in the population in question. The main implication of such data must be the development and introduction of state-funded mental health programs for former offenders.
Recommendations
Based on the research presented above, it is possible to make certain recommendations on how to reduce the recidivism rate for those who suffer from a mental illness. The most important element of such efforts must become the provision of psychiatric care in the case of probation and parole sentences. In order to do it, offenders must be screened during the booking process to detect their mental health disorders. The treatment interventions used on offenders to address their mental health issues should be tailored to their particular needs. Research demonstrates that the most effective therapies include psychopharmacology and cognitive behavioral therapy (“Federal prisons,” 2018). Another essential element of the system has to be the assistance of correctional agencies and communities to the released offenders. For instance, such organizations can help inmates to apply for benefits and therapy programs. Essentially, the continuity of care must be maintained even once the offender leaves the prison. Finally, there should be continuous cooperation between correctional agencies and community-based services, which involves sharing information and exchanging treatment programs. Thus, based on the recommendations, positive results can be achieved in the sphere of countering recidivism among offenders with mental health issues.
Conclusion
The issue of mental health care in the penitentiary system is a crucial one and needs to be addressed properly. The current paper has proven the main hypothesis that individuals who suffer from mental disorders are at a higher risk of engaging in recidivism. Moreover, it was discovered that inmates with mental health conditions are more likely to re-offend than those without such problems. Finally, the state programs to reduce recidivism among offenders with mental health issues are more effective than the local ones.
References
Anderson, J. R., Walsh, Z., & Kosson, D. S. (2018). Psychopathy, self-identified race/ethnicity, and nonviolent recidivism: A longitudinal study. Law and Human Behavior, 42(6), 531–544.
Bales, W. D., Nadel, M., Reed, C., & Blomberg, T. G. (2017). Recidivism and inmate mental illness. International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 6, 40–51.
Benecchi, L. (2021). Recidivism imprisons American progress. Harvard Political Review. Web.
Federal prisons: Information on inmates with serious mental illness and strategies to reduce recidivism. (2018). Government Accountability Office. Web.
Leutwyler, H., Hubbard, E., &, Zahnd, E. (2017). Case management helps prevent criminal justice recidivism for people with serious mental illness. International Journal of Prisoner Health, 13(3), 168–172.
Link N.W., Ward J.T., Stansfield R. (2019). Consequences of mental and physical health for reentry and recidivism: Toward a health‐based model of desistance. Criminology, 57(3), 544–573.
Statista Research Department. (2021). Countries with the largest number of prisoners per 100,000 of the national population, as of May 2021. Statista. Web.
Weatherburn, D., Albalawi, O., Chowdhury, N., Wand, H., Adily, A., Allnutt, S., &, Butler, T. (2021). Does mental health treatment reduce recidivism among offenders with a psychotic illness? Journal of Criminology, 54(2), 239–258.
Zeola, M.P., Guina, J., & Nahhas, R.W. (2017). Mental health referrals reduce recidivism in first-time juvenile offenders, but how do we determine who is referred? Psychiatric Quarterly, 88, 167–183.