Overview of the Social Issue
When it comes to incarceration, America is a champion amongst the developed world, but not in a manner that other nations would envy. There is an exponentially higher ratio of prisoners to the general public in the USA than even some dictatorships. A common problem within this larger issue relates to mental health among US prisoners. Incarceration in many cases mean that a law has been broken in a manner aggravated enough to warrant imprisonment (Khazan, 2015). This makes prisoners susceptible to having mental issues than the general public as they have already been involved in suspicious conduct. Further, conditions in even the most benign prisons can be considered as major stress factors because of limitations that come with incarceration. Further, the fact that society has considered an individual to be bad enough to be locked away from the general public can be a major cause of stress. This creates another ground for the advent of mental health issues, in even those who may have been healthy when they were incarcerated. The upshot of the foregoing is that mental health issues exacerbate in prison and a larger ratio of prison populations will stand in need of psychological attention than the civilian population. Unfortunately, psychological treatment is specialized and extremely expensive. Running and managing American prisons is already a large burden for the US taxpayer (Khazan, 2015). Treating prisoners for mental illnesses is not usually a priority thus many prisoners who need treatment do not get it and their situations are exacerbated. This often leads to harm to the self or fellow prisoners and in extreme cases even prison staff members.
2. Advocacy Organizations with Contrasting Opinions
GenFKD, a segment of YoungAmerica.Org, is a popular US lobby organization that deals with issues that it considers important for the populace. In many cases, GenFKD takes the side of those who seem to be trodden upon by the excesses of government. Through their website genfkd.org, the organization has written extensively about the problem of mental health issues in an American prison (Curley, 2016). It is easy to understand the perspective of the organization based on the heading of one of its articles which reads: Mass Incarceration: Why Is America Making Prisoners of the Mentally Ill? According to the perspective of the organization, the mentally ill cannot be offenders and should not be in prison in the first place. Further, the organization argues that some individuals who do not have any mental problems have development them, purely because of the government policy in incarceration. The tendency of seeking to put any offender and even the innocent in jails is the main reason why there is a mental health problem in prisons and even in the general society (Curley, 2016). The problem, therefore, can be solved through a different approach to criminal justice that exponentially reduces incarceration. Further to that, not a mentally ill person should be in prison as it beats the entire purpose of incarceration.
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The American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law hold a very different opinion about the problem, based on their perspective. This organization also accepts the fact that mental health issues are a problem in American prisons and also that there is an inordinately high level of people in prison (Daniel, 2007). The organization decries the lack of proper psychiatric intervention for prisoners which has led to a very low rate of success in mitigating mental health for the prison population. This has led to much suffering for the prisoners when they are in prison and also after they are released. Prisoners who suffer from mental health problem are a major burden to the prison system. Further, when they are released untreated, they then become a major burned to the society and often find themselves going back to prison. These organizations consider incarceration a great opportunity for the mitigation of mental health problems for prisoners. The controlled environment in prison can be ideal for psychologists and psychiatrists to intervene and assist the prisoners so that by the time they leave prisons, their conditions will have improved and they can lead a reformed and productive life. The solution according to this organization is to equip and fund prisons so as to enable then intervene better in the mental issues facing prisoners.
3. Critique on Each Perspective
GenFKD takes a stance against the government on almost all the issues that they canvass and always seem to protect the poor and the weak. A careful analysis of the organization's websites, however, show that they are genuine in seeking to assist the general public through the causes that they advocate over. Each of their web pages is written by an identified member and based on sound research upon which their opinion is based. However, the qualifications of the researcher are not indicated. Instead, the organization in their pages rely on facts and logic to make their arguments albeit the sources for the information is not sited. In the article about the instant subject, several statistics about the instant problem are quoted and linked to other articles by the same organization. For example, the statement “ In jails, a serious mental illness now affects about one in six men and one in three women, rates four to six times higher than the general population” (Curley, 2016) is quite accurate. It also shows that the writer has taken time to research and understand the topic. The conclusions and recommendations made by the organization are based on logical arguments based on facts.
The American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law is a research organization made up of experts in the field who have an academic knowledge of the subjects they canvass. Their article on the instant subject is fashioned after an academic journal or official report complete with an extensive literature review. This organization presents as much data as the above-referred organization. Their main difference is that they cite the sources of each and every data making it easy to verify. Further, each and every argument made by the organization is sound from an intellectual perspective with academic sources being provided to support every claim. The conclusion may be a reflection of the opinion of the organization but based on the substance of the article, it is easy for any reader to understand how that particular opinion was arrived at. Sound research and analysis is, therefore, the basis on which this organization conducts its advocacy (Daniel, 2007).
4. Suggested Policy Solutions
GenFKD suggests a general change of policy on the entire concept of incarceration and specifically when it comes to the mentally ill. The organization feels that the current US justice system leads to too much incarceration and too many people in jail ought not to be there. As this is what is contributing to mental illness, the solution lies in finding alternative methods of punishment and rehabilitation that doesn’t include prisons. The other change in policy is that the mentally ill should not be jailed and those who get mentally ill in jail should be released (Curley, 2016).
The American Academy of Psychiatry and the law takes the entire contrary opinion as they believe that jail is good for the mentally ill. Their policy changed to include the provision of resources and facilities to ensure that the incarcerated who have mental conditions are treated and recover before they are released. This includes an increase in personnel and medication in prisons to enable treatment of mentally ill prisoners (Daniel, 2007).
5. Consistency with social work ethics and values
Social work ethics and values engender helping the needy members of the society, inter alia through advocacy. The concept of advocacy is based on the fact that many members of the society who are in need are not able to raise their own voices and plead their causes. Nowhere else is this truer than in the prison system where even some fundamental rights and choices are taken away from the prisoners. The two organizations may not agree on what is supposed to be done regarding the problem. However, their two sets of advocacy are purely geared towards the best interest of the groups that they are advocating for. Further, none of the organizations is advocating for anything illegal or immoral thus ethical boundaries have been respected. The organizations differ but they are both on the right path.
6. Reflection and Recommendation
Going back to the initial definition and analysis of the problem, it is clear that although two organizations take separate stances on the subject the two are based on a material truth about the subject. The argument that prison is making people mad is essentially true as there are many people in American prisons who should not be there (Khazan, 2015). Some are innocent and victims of a flawed justice system while others are guilty of crimes which had they been rich or from a different race they would never have been in prison. Seeking to reduce levels of incarceration in America as suggested by GenFKD. Yet, there are prisoners who need mental health assistance but by the very nature of their crimes cannot be released to the public (Khazan, 2015). This includes those who have been involved in aggravated crimes. Further, mental health issues do not necessarily amount to insanity. There is, therefore a great need for mental health assistance thus making the second organization’s cause also viable for a social worker to pursue.
References
Daniel, A. E. (2007, December 01). Care of the mentally Ill in prisons: Challenges and solutions. Retrieved October 28, 2017, from http://jaapl.org/content/35/4/406
Curley, C. (2016, April 15). Mass Incarceration: Why is America making prisoners of the mentally Ill? Retrieved October 28, 2017, from http://www.genfkd.org/mass-incarceration-why-is-america-making-prisoners-mentally-ill
Khazan, O. (2015, April 07). Most prisoners are mentally Ill . Retrieved October 28, 2017, from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/04/more-than-half-of-prisoners-are-mentally-ill/389682/
