Literary Analysis Essay on Crime and Mental Illness

Owens, A., Sapien, M., Cortez, S., & Lee, H. (2018). Mental Illness and Incarceration.

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This article explores the effects of mental illness on incarceration. In their study, the authors observe that many individuals that are incarcerated have or develop a variety of mental disorders including anxiety or anti-social disorders. Based on the study, the authors intimate that persons having lifetime antisocial disorders are more susceptible to incarceration than others. On the other hand, the investigation revealed that individuals with lifetime anxiety did not show any significant susceptibility to incarceration. Those with antisocial disorders were more susceptible to incarceration since they are more likely to engage in criminal activities as compared to those with anxiety disorders. This research is very important as it forms the foundation on which further research will build on to expand on various disorders not considered in this research.

McCarthy, M. (2010). Incarceration and human rights: The Oxford Amnesty Lectures 2007. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

This article explores the number of incarcerated mentally ill persons in prisons across the world. According to the study, McCarthy observes that the number of persons with severe mental illness who are in prisons is much higher than those in homes. According to the study, most of the incarcerated mentally ill persons were previously homeless. While in prisons, these persons suffer very much from comorbidities and are highly susceptible to the abuse of drugs and alcohol. A few of these inmates receive sufficient mental health services including the essential medicines and psychological care. In addition to that, they are also exposed to both physical and sexual abuse by colleagues. According to this study, mentally ill prisoners have very high chances to die either within prisons or after release. This book is significant since it will guide the research to keep in mind the needs of human rights.

Roth, A. (2018). Insane: America's criminal treatment of mental illness.

In this article, Journalist Alisa Roth exposes the insane status of prisons in the united states. In her study, Alisa estimates that more than half of the persons confined in the American jails or prisons have psychiatric or mental disorders. According to Alisa, the inmates often go through extreme conditions and sufferings from torturous experiences such as physical and sexual abuse, poor treatment, and tightened punishments. This makes them, even more, sicker than their initial state before they entered the jails. This research breaks the ground for further studies to explore various ways to enhance the life of the vulnerable inmates.

Mental Health in Prisons: Critical perspectives on treatment and confinement. (2018). S.l.: PALGRAVE MACMILLAN.

This book explores prison environments to determine how it affects mental illnesses among the inmates. According to this research, most prisons are neglected environments with improper facilities that are required to provide mental treatment services to the mentally ill persons adequately. The architecture and culture of most prisons around the world are unsuitable for adequately restructuring the behavior of the incarcerated. Small rooms are used to confine numerous persons at the same time. The culture and type of confinement greatly affect inmates abilities to cope up with the treatment and rehabilitation activities to help them overcome the mental incapacities. This research book will guide the subsequent research to take a keen view of the environmental factors during studies and relate various environmental factors to understand their cause-effect relationship.

In Wooldredge, J., & In Smith, P. (2018). The Oxford handbook of prisons and imprisonment.

This article explores several issues such as the trends in imprisonment, an adaptation of inmates to the prison environments, and the order or disorders at the prison. The authors intimate that current imprisoning often occurs among the mentally ill persons. During their stay in prisons, the mentally ill persons have to adapt to very harsh prison environments including poor hygiene and violence among the fellow inmates. This study opens the door for subsequent studies to explore suitable means of enhancing better prison environment for the vulnerable few. This research significantly sets the pace for the subsequent research studies. It serves as the foundation on which further reports will build upon to expand on the experiences of the mentally ill prisoners.

Walker, L. E., Pann, J. M., Shapiro, D. L., & Van, H. V. B. (2016). Best Practice for the mentally ill in the criminal justice system.

This article presents various evidence-based models of treating persons with mental disorders while in prison. The authors review various police alternatives to arresting persons with mental illnesses in the continuity of care between community and jail, the efficacy of law courts, as well as confrontations. The book also presents the best practices for the treatment of persons with mental illness within prisons and pushes for justice in the law courts. It after that provides recommendations for proper utilization of the best practices model. The book is especially more important as it gives breakthrough in exploring better ways to the treatment of the mentally ill within prisons and brings focus to best practices while carrying out further research studies.

Kaufman, E. (2017). Tales of a prison psychiatrist: Fifty years of criminalization of the mentally ill and addicted.

The book explores various doors through which the mentally ill and addicted persons have found their way into prisons in the past five decades. Dr. Ed Kaufman explores this through scrutinizing various systems such as therapeutics communities, jails, prisons, community health centers, courts, homeless shelters, state hospital s, or even the elite private centers. Dr. Kaufman suggests various evidence-based treatment and prevention programs as the best alternatives to incarceration. Additionally, the book presents histories of some people who have received help through such programs. The research is important since it gives room for expansion on the effectiveness of the alternative means other than the incarceration.

National Research Council (U.S.)., Smith, A., & Institute of Medicine (U.S.). (2013). Health and Incarceration: A workshop summary.

The book centers on the effects of imprisonment on the health of persons. Smith and others explain that most of the prisoners get into the prisons while having the history of mental disorders. According to the research, the health of persons being imprisoned deteriorates shortly after their entry. However, the same conditions are also observed in prisoners after they are released. Jails and prisons where persons are incarcerated have poor quality facilities for providing adequate mental health wise. The research is important as creating the path along which other researches would follow and advance on to identify other impacts that are not covered.

Dlugacz, H. A., & Civic Research Institute. (2010). Reentry plan for offenders with mental disorders: Policy and practice. Kingston, NJ: Civic Research Institute.

Dlugacz explores various plans to help persons with mental disorders reenter the society well after their release from the prison. According to the author, prisoners with mental disorders are continually exposed to risks of becoming sicker while in prisons due to the torturous experience they go through. However, when released, they become even more susceptible to more illnesses and poor health state due to struggles to make ends meet. Dlugacz suggests that the government should put freed persons from prisons into some forms of employment to avoid too many struggles to adapt to the environment. The research is important as it focuses further research on post-prison experience.

In Konrad, N., In Vollm, B., & In Weisstub, D. N. (2013). Ethical issues in prison psychiatry.

The book examines various models and ethics of psychiatric healthcare in prisons. The author presents various ethical dilemmas in the prison psychiatry. It explores various ethical issues such as the medical role of the psychiatrist in coercive or disciplinary measures, consent to treatment, hunger strike, forcing a prisoner to undergo treatment, and confidentiality. The authors advocate that ethics should be upheld in carrying out psychiatric healthcare services in prisons. This research directs other researchers to be mindful of ethical issues while exploring incarceration issues.

Fellner, J., & Human Rights Watch (Organization),. (2015). Callous and cruel: Using force against inmates with mental disabilities in US jails and prisons.

This book presents some of the most dangerous experiences undergone by mentally ill prisoners in the jails and prisons in the united states of America. According to Fellner, the prisoners are dehumanized by the correctional staff. They are subjected to very high degree tortures including very painful chemical sprays, mighty electric stun weapons, tight restrains onto chairs, deep bruises, burns, and damages to their internal organs such as bones and jaws. In some instances, some of these situations result in the deaths of the prisoners. This research is important as it points out further research to build upon these findings.

In Reiter, K., & In Koenig, A. (2015). Extreme punishment: Comparative studies in detention, incarceration and solitary confinement.

The book describes the experiences of the mentally ill persons, enemy combatants, and the immigrants are tortured in the united states of America, Canada, and the united kingdom. According to the book, persons with mental incapacities are treated like criminals together with the enemy combatants. The punishers exert too much force against the prisoners thereby making them become badly injured in the process. The book explains how through consolidated administrative power, new criminalized people and categories appear instead of preventing the harm or managing risks. The research is especially important because it helps further researchers to be focused on what kinds of tortures are administered to the mentally ill.

Gosselin, D. K. (2017). Crime and mental disorders: The criminal justice response.

This is a very relevant book to rely upon for research purposes. The book presents response issues to psychiatric disorders from the perspective of criminal justice. The book explains some of the most important parts that are of great research importance such as mental illnesses, criminal justice responses, alternatives to incarcerations, and finally, the global issues. The book examines various means of criminal corrections and laws and policy enforcement. This research is important as it shows the link between mental disorders and crime.

Schug, R. A. (2012). Mental illness and crime. New York: Sage. Bottom of Form

The book presents the relationships between the mental illnesses and the crimes committed that finally leads to incarceration. Schug intimates that mental disorders make people less sensitive to others. Therefore, they are susceptible to committing crimes and consequently incarceration. The book integrates diverse knowledge from various areas such as criminology, psychiatry, law, psychology, and clinical neuroscience. The authors then intimate what is known about the treatment of the mental illness and provide alternative ways from incarceration. The research is important as it sheds light into more studies on the link between crime and mental illness.

In Winstone, J. (2016). Mental health, crime, and criminal justice: Responses and reforms.

This book is an interdisciplinary collection exploring such key issues as mental health, and the crime and crimin...