Ethics in prisons need a major reform; however, it needs to start with fixing other issues in our country, addiction and mental health.
In the United States, 37% of incarcerated individuals and 44% of those in jail have mental health issues, 66% of whom receive no form of treatment for their health. Mental health has not been taken seriously enough, and it is even worse for the inmate population.
Texas professor Robert Morgan claims that assisting inmates regarding mental health struggles helps to develop healthy relationships and reduce anti-social patterns.
Morgan’s research claims that mentally ill prisoners are more likely to resort to aggression which can heavily influence their behavior both in and out of prison. The result of his model concerning trauma-informed care showed decreased depression, hostility, anxiety and psychopathy.
Other issues with crime can come from abuse of inmates via the correctional officers. Dave Stevens, PsyD, teaches prison staff about trauma and the brain’s response to it.
He teaches wardens and officers to communicate with inmates in ways that will lower the risk of trauma or re-traumatization. He teaches the staff that many inmates are more likely to have a history of trauma, whether it be emotional, physical, sexual or a combination.
All these lessons from experts have proven to help lower crime rates inside and outside of jails, but they have not been adopted nationwide.
In addition, there is an issue of drug use within prisons. This, although linked with mental health issues in prison, should be a completely separate issue and handled as such.
Drug users should not be locked up, but treated.
44% of U.S. inmates were arrested for drug-related offenses. The U.S. houses 25% of the world’s inmates, and nearly half of those are from drug-related arrests.
Not only does America house too many drug users, but imprisonment is detrimental to sobriety. Jails offer little access to drug rehabilitation programs, and inmates will likely spend most of their time in a detox unit, many of which are proven to be ill-equipped for proper rehabilitation.
While the problem surrounding mental health issues can derive from multiple different areas, the facts are that prison does not create a healthy environment for treatment, nor does it offer extensive solutions for change.
Adopting a nationwide method to address problems within prisons, such as mental health and drug use can lead to increased rehabilitation.
Students can all help make a change by going to local government officials or writing to town offices demanding a change to stop needless arrests of nonviolent drug users and addicts, and instead help them get the proper care and treatment they deserve.
