NCJ Number
134061
Journal
American Journal of Public Health Volume: 80 Issue: 6 Dated: (June (1990) Pages: 655-656
Date Published
1990
Length
2 pages
Annotation
Accelerated urban decay, widespread illicit drug use, and expanding poverty-associated epidemics have had a devastating impact on the well-being of prison inmates.
Abstract
Prison medical services have been transformed into units struggling to cope with nearly impossible demands. Although accurate statistics on mental illness in correctional facilities are difficult to obtain, it is clear that the mentally ill are over-represented in the criminal justice system. In 1976, the U.S. Supreme Court held that deliberate indifference to the serious medical needs of inmates violates the eighth amendment which bars cruel and unusual punishment. The jurisprudence of this amendment requires that correctional facilities measure their medical practices against contemporary standards of decency and dignity. Unfortunately, despite Federal court orders, most States continue to provide care far short of the constitutional standard. The need for mental health services by inmates is increasing, due in part to the criminalization of drug use. Large numbers of substance abusers are being funneled into jails and prisons, and the widespread policy of determinate sentencing exacerbates the problem. The growing need for mental health services by inmates is also the result of homelessness. An acceptable public health solution is to combine jail treatment facilities with functioning diversion programs. Programs in correctional facilities should assess the mental health needs of inmates and take prospective patients to appropriate mental health units. Additionally, correctional facilities should station trained personnel at jail intake points to work with law enforcement officers in order to have charges modified or dropped when psychiatric illness is the crime. 15 references