New Asylums

New Asylums There is a growing number of prisoners faced with mental illness which is leading to American prisons being turned into new mental asylums. There is a need for intervention but determining an affective method is the real challenge. As shown in the video, there is growing frustration among correction officers leading to what appears to be abuse between the prisoner and the officer. Correction officers are no longer only responsible for the security of the prison and the prisoners but for managing the mental health status of the mentally ill inmates and arranging plans accordingly.

Prisons are currently designed for security and correctional programs not for mental treatment, which is where the problem with prisons turning into asylums begins to arise. Correction officers are trained police officers not doctors, therapists, or mental illness specialists. In order to effectively handle prisoners suffering from mental illness, prisons need to have staff that is specifically trained in mental health. Over the years, mental hospitals have shut down and started to fade out of the health care system leaving individuals suffering from mental diseases with no where to turn for help. The individuals battling mental health issues are expected to seek help from within the community in community based mental health programs. However, adequate funding is not available from the government to support the new transition of community based mental health programs.

Community members are also not committed to helping the individuals suffering from mental illnesses which leads them to commit crimes due to failed methods of intervention. Once in prison, the burden of dealing with the inmates falls on correction officers who do not know adequate ways to deal with their illness, leading to more frustration for the prisoner and their illnesses still not being addressed appropriately. Providing effective psychiatric care in a maximum security prison is extremely