When I first became incarcerated there were not that many individuals that identified with mental health and it’s like now when I look around we are having a mental health crisis. These guys are mental health level three and they should be housed at. An institution of their own so the psychiatrists can observe them and their behaviors. They shouldn’t be housed around us AT ALL! These guys walk around all day talking to themselves and they get violent without provocation. There used to be a place called Dorothy Dix and this is where they used to send people that I am speaking about. But they shut it down for I don’t know, for whatever reason they shouldn’t have done it. The state started building more penitentiaries and closing down mental health facilities, which is where they began to go backwards. Now the state is attempting to rectify their mistake by creating mental health programs at such facilities as Alexander and Marion Correctional. These level three mental health patients are still being housed amongst us and it’s not only dangerous for them but mainly for us. When you have individuals that mind their business and do everything they are supposed to and unfortunately they have a run in with someone who is level three and they end up doing something to that person out of defense, they will get charged as if it’s two people getting into a mutual confrontation when it is not. Most likely the mental health guy will get off because of his mental health. Our lawmakers need to know of this and to rectify the problem. Mental health facilities need to be built or reopened across the state. That will lighten the load of overcrowding in the prison system and the violence of prisoner on prisoner and prisoner on staff will decrease.
When I was at Southern Correctional, there was this Asian guy who used to walk around all day talking to himself. You can tell he had violent tendencies and would sometimes act out. When the officers would see his behavior they would think that it was funny instead of taking the matters seriously. Like reporting him to the medical staff so he can get back on his medication, really none of the guys are taking their meds and they are not being forced to do so. Well he was released from prison and three days later he was back locked up for committing a homicide. Somebody’s life could have been saved if he would have gotten some help.
- Percent of people in state prisons who have been diagnosed with a mental disorder: 43%+
- In local jails: 44%+
- The percentage of people in federal prison who reported not receiving any mental health care while incarcerated: 66%+
- In state prisons: 74%+
- Number of people experiencing “serious psychological distress” in jails: 1in 4+
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 21% of the United States adults (52.9 million people) experienced mental illness in 2020. Those rates are much higher for incarcerated people. 64 percent of incarcerated individuals, 54 percent of state prisoners, and 45 percent of those in the federal prisons have reported mental health concerns. Another way to look at this is approximately half of the people in U.S. jails and over one third of the population of the prisons have been diagnosed with a mental illness. Mental health is one of the many reasons that leads to incarcerations.
I am going to post a few links that hopefully help someone get the help that they truly deserve. Especially with the numbers steadily increasing, not only here in prison but out there in society as well.