incarcerating the mentally ill

[Sojourner]

[quote name='Carrie' date='Oct 17 2005, 10:27 AM']*points to self*
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I had you in mind, along with several people I know here. I'm sure there are compassionate people doing this kind of work in every state ... but I'm guessing the volume of work is simply overwhelming. Support, both in terms of manageable caseloads and adequate funding, is really lacking here, and I'm sure that's true other places as well.

[photosynthesis]

[quote name='Sojourner' date='Oct 17 2005, 11:32 AM']I'm sure it was a horrible experience, and it definitely highlights the problems we have with dealing with mental illnesses through the criminal justice system.

I think much of the problems stem from the fact that there isn't adequate funding to provide for well-staffed, adequately sized facilities. It's a shameful thing that we as a society haven't done more to care for the most vulnerable among us.
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mental hospitals are like society's garbage can, where they throw all the "unwanted" persons and treat them like human trash. It's like a freak show in there. all it does is make people more disordered and more insane. I learned so many insane behaviors from the psych unit and other mental health programs... all the other girls were slicing up their arms, and while I didn't do it for the same reason they did (they were self-injurers), I did it because it was cool.

I don't think it's an issue of funding. The basic underlying idea behind society's treatment of the mentally ill is, "you shouldn't exist, you should never have been born." When a society doesn't respect human life from the moment of conception, you get problems. I think as long as Americans continue to accept abortion and euthanasia, then the mentally ill will still be thought of as "disposable" and "an inconvenience."

[photosynthesis]

[quote name='Carrie' date='Oct 17 2005, 11:33 AM']Unfortunately because of money and over-crowding, some of these places aren't using methods that are in the best interest of their clients.
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also, minors aren't really thought of as "clients" because they are still under the care of parents/legal guardians. children can't really advocate for themselves. psych hospitals often get away with doing this to children because they don't put up a fight. most of the kids at the psych hospital I was at came from abusive homes so they were just used to it.

[Sojourner]

[quote name='photosynthesis' date='Oct 17 2005, 10:48 AM']I don't think it's an issue of funding.  The basic underlying idea behind society's treatment of the mentally ill is, "you shouldn't exist, you should never have been born."  When a society doesn't respect human life from the moment of conception, you get problems.  I think as long as Americans continue to accept abortion and euthanasia, then the mentally ill will still be thought of as "disposable" and "an inconvenience."
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You're right, the lack of funding is significant of the deeper societal issues, the fact that we don't want to think about things that make us uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, this isn't a problem unique to American society, or to the times in which we live. There are "lepers" in every place and age.