Introduction When we hear or even think of prisons from a layman’s perspective, what typically comes to our minds are the overcrowded facilities with high walls and also barbed wires. The typical mental image is of men that are built physically...Read More
~Posted on
Sep 2018
Introduction
When we hear or even think
of prisons from a layman’s perspective, what typically comes to our minds are
the overcrowded facilities with high walls and also barbed wires. The typical
mental image is of men that are built physically and also dangerous looking in
some instances with tattoos all over their bodies (Walklate, 2004). Few of us
are able to have a picture or imagination of the women in prison. It is because
the proportion of the women in prison as compared to the men prisoners is
minimal. However, there has been an indication of a rising number of female
inmates over the years. A study conducted by IWCJ (2006) indicated that there
were approximately 105,000 female inmates out of the over 2 million prisoners
at the time in the United States alone. The study, however, indicates a
marginal increase in the number of female prisoners (Messina et. al., 2006). It
pointed to a notable increase in the number of the inmates at over 600 percent
between 1977 and 2005 and the increase in female prisoners was attributed to
the presence of tougher sentencing laws and also the growing record of drug
offenders in the country.
With the rapid growth in
the rate of female prisoners, there is still non-committal from the respective
prison administrators to respond to the specific needs of the women. The growth
of the women in the jail is apparent yet it is still inadequately addressed
since the women cannot always treat as the men as they may have special health
needs including mental health needs (Walklate, 2004). Historically, women have
been underrepresented at different levels of the criminal justice system, and
it is this that resulted in the creation of the system by men for men hence
forgetting the diverse, unique needs of the women that may not be relevant to
the male counterparts. The American and the Hispanic women are the majority of
the women incarcerated, and the majority of them have indicated health concerns
more so with mental health. It is even more emphasized by the fact that there
are an increased number of women prisoners incarcerated with drug abuse related
cases and such cases may need mental health interventions to overcome the
addictions and also come to terms with the new reality of incarceration
(Walklate, 2004). There are also other significant heath needs that are
necessary for the women such as the gynecological requirements of the female
inmates that are often dismissed by the prison administrators, and these have
further led to the possibility of further mental health issues.
Mental health as defined by
the WHO it is not just the absence of a mental health disorder but the ability
of the individual to cope with the normal stresses of life, be a productive
member of society and also attain their full potential (Messina et. al., 2006).
It includes the general wellness of the women in the correctional facilities
and the presence of their mental health needs and deficiencies that should not
be overlooked at all. Moreover, being in the prison set up there are increased
frustrations, stresses as well as challenges that may present mental health
challenges to such women and hence the need to do something about the issue
that is apparent in the prisons. Moreover, many of the incarcerated women had
already reported some form of health-related deficiencies before their
incarceration. Some of the women engaged in violence were drug addicts, and
there is majority of them that are survivors of sexual abuse, physical abuse,
trauma and even post-traumatic Stress Disorders (Messina et. al., 2006). They
may also be survivors or even victims of high-risk activities such as
prostitution that put them in danger of contracting HIV/Aids. If they are
already infected or so, they may be at increased risk of further mental health
damage as a result of the increased pressure and pain that may be emotional and
psychological (Messina et. al., 2006). The women may also be victims of
violence or perpetrators of violence and just incarceration for a period may be
ineffective at changing the mental schemas of such individuals and hence
required mental health intervention to cope with the stresses and also overcome
the issues they may be facing.
Surveys conducted among the
incarcerated women have indicated a linkage between childhood abuse and the
other adult mental health problems such a depression, panics and eating
disorders s (Messina & Grella, 2006). Messina and Grella (2006) further
found out that the childhood issues including abandonment and poor upbringing
in high-risk areas were also linked with the subsequent behavioral issue in the
adult life of the women and were also directly like with other mental health
concerns later in life. It meant that some of the women committed the crimes
they are incarcerated for as a result of the mental health issues that they
faced linked with their childhood experiences. Such issues cannot be solved or
corrected through the use of the correctional facilities alone without the
adequate mental health interventions. The majority of the women offenders have
also experienced trauma in their lives, and this has also further been lined
with the behavioral issues that they have and also other mental health needs of
the individuals (Bloom et. al., 2003). It is, therefore, apparent that there is
a need for mental health interventions for women in prison since the behavioral
issues that got them incarcerated in the first place may be highly linked with
the mental health problems that they may be facing as individuals over the
course of their lives.
Purpose of the research
The research primarily aims
at finding out the link between mental health issue faced by the women in their
lives and the behavioral problems that landed them in prison. The research is
also vital to being able to identify the need for mental health interventions
for the women in prison through identification of the mental health problems
that the women may be facing in incarceration.
Problem statement
The specific issue
presented in the research is on the mental health needs of the women in prison
that are apparent yet little has been done by the relevant stakeholders to
address them effectively.
Literature review
According
to the World Health Organization (WHO) in a study titled Women’s Health in
Prisons: Correcting Gender Inequity in Prison Health (2009), the majority of
the women in the prisons around the globe are in jail as a result of nonviolent
crimes. They are mostly drug offenders, property related offender, and other
cases. It has led to the serving of shorter terms in prisons as opposed to
their male counterparts and hence the increased need to ensure that the women
that go through the system are sound to be released to the society. A prison
can change an individual as a result of the interaction with other inmates that
may be violent and also if the conditions in the jail are not conducive for
correctional. Moreover, there are indications of continued violence and also
the abuse of women in the prisons from other inmates and also from the jail
administrators. In fact over 70% of the correctional officers in the female
correctional centers are male and hence may increase the vulnerability of such
women. It is, therefore, imperative that the women have access to enough mental
health support systems so that they can be able to get into terms with the
experiences they have in the prisons. A justice system for such offender should
also be instituted. Failure to address the traumatic events that may occur to
such a woman may lead to further violence in future leading to further
sentencing with other more violent crimes in the future. It may also lead to
defiance and vulnerability to mental health issues for the inmates that may
crop from such experiences.
There
are over 48% if women that were victims of sexual or physical abuse before
ending up in prison (Green et. al., 2005). They may be individuals that suffer
from post-traumatic stress disorder and hence end up engaging in activities
masked as coping mechanisms, such as alcohol and drug abuse. Such individuals
may end becoming drug addicts as they attempt to deal with the distress of the
abuse and hence end up in prisons. It may be counterproductive to have such an
inmate serve a jail term and then release them to the public once again without
sufficiently addressing the issues that they may be facing to help them deal
with the problems (Green et. al., 2005). It may make the justice system
ineffective if they are not able to address the mental health needs that led to
the committing of the crime and also increases the likelihood of a second and
subsequent jail terms that may make the offenses advance from nonviolent to
violent as the situation gets worse. The situation in the current correctional
system is that there are more and more facilities that just offer medications
to the visible distresses of the inmate but do not provide the relevant
psychosocial support and also psychotherapy that is essential for healing.
A
study published in 2009 by IWCJ titled: Mothers, Infants, and Imprisonment: A
National Look at Prison Nurseries and Community-Based Alternatives indicated
that the prevalence of mental illness was higher for the female prisoners than
the male inmates and was also infrequently addressed. The study also suggested
that the women were more likely to hurt themselves that the men while in
prison. It is an indication of the apparent need for interventions to address
the mental health of the women in prison. Incarceration may be more difficulty
in coping with for the women than is the case for the men and therefore there
is a need for specialized systems and structures that meet the particular needs
of such individuals. There is a need to offer sufficient coping mechanisms to
the women through addressing the issues they experience while in prison and
also what they faced before they got into jail (The Independent, 2009). It is
because, before they get to harming themselves, it is an indication of
deep-rooted emotional and psychological distress that may mean that it is an
impediment to the proper functioning of the women. It is, therefore, the role
of the prison administrators to offer the support and also the psychological
support required for the women (The Independent, 2009).
There
are also indications of mental health difference between the incarcerated women
from the general women population. For instance, the general population
indicates that 12% of the women have mental health issues but in the state
prison, there are indications of 73% of the women having mental illness
symptoms (James and Glaze, 2006). The study also indicated that the
incarcerated women had a higher prevalence of serious mental disorder such as
schizophrenia, substance abuse disorder, personality disorders and also
experience psychosocial dysfunction. It is a clear indication of the gap that
exists within the prison systems and also in society since the women that serve
short prison terms then released into society with such issues further
contributes to the effects of such mental health matters in society. They may
also lead to causing further distress to others such as their spouses, their
family members and even children for those that have them. Some of the
conditions may also be the reasons why some of the inmates may end up becoming
more violent and as a result, some of them get extended prison terms. It is,
therefore, imperative to have the psychic evaluation platforms that also lead
up to the provision of mental health interventions to the individuals.
Research
by Bloom, Owen, and Covington (2003) indicates that the women offenders in the
United States are majorly characterized by poverty, women of color, young
mothers and also unemployment, have significant substance abuse issues and
obvious mental health issues. It means that some of the women were victims of
mental health disorders and hence may have engaged in some acts not in their
right mind but as a result of the disorders that they may face. There is also a
visibility of commonality in the fact that the female inmates are major victims
of past violence, abuse, and other family or community-related problems.
However, the correctional facilities do not spend some time to screen for nay
childhood or adulthood issues that may have resulted in the behavioral issues
witnessed through the breaking of the law. The majority of some of the women
should not be thrown in the prison cells without therapeutic interventions. In
fact, the therapeutic interventions would be the most efficient ways for the
desired behavior change and change of such individuals to be productive and
model citizens (Medlicott, 2007).
The
majority of the incarcerated women that may have psychiatric disorder do not
receive sufficient and required interventions, and hence, they have a lifetime
of mental health issues. The study further asserted that some women are
troubled as a result of the lack of mental health treatments and also due to a
repeated incarceration without the necessary interventions (Jordan et. al., 2002).
It means that the women continued engagement in activities and behavior that
leads to incarceration is a direct result of the failure of such justice
systems to address the actual issues that face such citizens. The justice
system, therefore, spends massive taxpayer funding incarcerating the individual
instead of taking the more cheaply and efficient method by addressing the
issues that the person, may be facing. Without making the relevant mental
health interventions, the correctional interventions of people may remain
irrelevant and also ineffective leading to increased overcrowding of inmates in
the prisons due to repeated engagement in crimes of such individuals
(Medlicott, 2007). It also leads to the continued existent of criminals and
crime perpetration motivated by the emotional and psychological impairments
that are not within the control of the individual.
In
1998, Bureau of Justice Statistics released a publication that documented that
40% of the women sent to state prisons in the United States reported that they
had been under the influence of drugs and substances during the time of
committing a given crime (James & Glaze, 2006). There were only 32% of the men
that reported drug abuse during committing of their crimes. There were also
around one-third of other incarcerated women that committed the crime such as
theft, burglary and robbery at times with violence with the sole goal of buying
drugs with the money in mind. A publication in 2004 by the Bureau of Justice
Statistics further stated that over 60% of the women in the state prisons
indicated some history of drug dependence (James & Glaze, 2006). It is an indication that the
substance abuse is an important issue in the country.
Drugs
and substance abuse related crimes are not issues that can be superficially
solved through incarceration without offering the relevant social, emotional
and psychological interventions. In fact, it shows that if the justice systems
focus on investing more in trying to avert drug abuse through offering psychosocial
support and mental health interventions to the addicts, then they would be
better placed at reducing the rates of crimes (James & Glaze, 2006). Drug dependence is not
something that any individual can be punished out of and therefore, requires
direct intervention to the underlying emotional and psychological issues. There
is also the need to address the addiction disorder in the individual so as to
attain any significant changes among the individual.
Implications for Criminal Justice/Society
The
continued existence and also lack of sufficient mechanisms to address the
mental health needs of women in incarceration continue to provide grave
consequences on the criminal justice system and also to the society. The
criminal justice system may not be in a position to attain their goal by having
the women in rosin which are to reshape them into model citizens and also
ensure that they become productive and model citizens. Such individuals that
have underlying mental health issues unless they are addressed will continue to
present a challenge as they will continue to be at the loggerheads with the
law. Mental health disorders are not conditions that a person can be punished
out of since what the criminal justice system achieves by incarcerating individuals
suffering from mental health issue is punishing them at all times. It is
counterproductive and also against the fundamental rights of the individuals
that suffer from mental disorders while committing a crime to be put through an
increased torture and through situations that may further lead to worsening of
their conditions and also leads to suicides and violence against others in some
extreme cases. The society is also not spared from the ordeal since such women
that are drug addicts and suffering from mental disorders and them are
incarcerated are somebody’s mother, sister, aunt, niece, wife and even wife. It
means that societies will continue to lose individuals that would have been
productive if they were given the right form of support and interventions for
the behavior that may be contrary to the law. For the students and the
professional, it continues to present a challenge that needs in-depth research
and also presents an issue that requires immediate attention and may be a
source of problem on the right channels and mechanisms that need to be
instituted to adequately address the problem.
Conclusion
In
conclusion, the women in prison continue to increase at an alarming rate around
the world. However, there is slow and in some cases nonexistent sufficient
health interventions for the women and presents issues that have a significant
impact on the core human rights of such women. The women cannot also be treated
in the same way as the men since they have their unique health related issues
facing them. Furthermore, the Justice system is highly discriminative of the
women as it was made by men for the men and hence the structures and mechanisms
instituted are more relevant for the men than the women. The women in prison
face significant issue with mental health since they are majorly the victims of
abuse, trauma, PTSD and other child related difficulties that result to mental
health issues. Moreover, the issue of drug abuse is the most fundamental among
the women and in fact majority of the incarcerations for women are drug
related. Most of the crimes committed by the women are either committee under
the influence of drugs, are drug offences or are committed with the aim of
satisfying the drug dependence. Drug abuse on its own is a significant mental health
issue in the contemporary society and therefore, the majority of women in
prison are there due to the mental health problems that they may be facing. It
is also evident that the women face more pressure and are more vulnerable to
mental health disorders while in prison than the men and hence the need to have
interventions to address the issues. There are sufficient research and evidence
indicating that there is a need for mental health interventions for women in
prison since the behavioral problems that got them incarcerated in the first
place may be highly linked with the mental health problems that they may be
facing as individuals over the course of their lives.