The Importance Of Mental Disorders In The Prison System

In addition, persons with mental disorders are clearly overrepresented in the prison system, when compared to rates of persons in the community with mental disorders, studies found â€Å"that prevalence estimates were three to 12 times higher than in community samples, reaching as high as 64%,† (Prins, S. J., 2014, p. 862) with â€Å"prevalence† being defined as the commonness or occurrence of a mental disorder. The reasoning behind this skewed representation has continually puzzled researchers and led to a confusing and vague consensus as to how big this problem actually is. Despite the advances in abnormal psychology in recent decades, it is often difficult to see or measure the extent of mental illness, especially in an environment always†¦show more content†¦Erving Goffman defined stigma as â€Å"the situation of the individual who is disqualified from full social acceptance† and â€Å"an undesired differentness from what we had anticipated† ( Goffman, 1963). According to Thornicroft, Rose, Kassam, and Sartorius (2007), stigma comprises ignorance (lack of knowledge), prejudice (stigmatizing attitudes), and discrimination (being treated unfairly, a behavior concept). The Haghighat (2001) model of public stigma represents people’s social and psychological reactions to someone perceived to have a stigmatized condition. According to this model, stigmatization has three components: cognitive (based on stereotypes such as â€Å"schizophrenics are violent†), affective (fear and anxiety), and behavioral (avoidance and discrimination). (p. 251) The understanding of what stigmas entail is crucial in being able to see how they affect prison inmates with mental disorders. Because of how they are viewed in the community, those with mental illness are often cast aside by society for being different. People are generally afraid of the unknown and rather than check in with someone they think might be struggling, most people tend to ignore problems if they aren’t something they’re comfortable dealing with. So this understanding of stigmatization of individuals with mental illness offers us a better view of why they are so overrepresented and mistreated in the prison system. Stigmatization is one of the most prodigious problemsShow MoreRelatedMental Illness Of The Mentally Ill On Deinstitutionalization1514 Words   |  7 PagesMental illness in America has become an increasingly popular topic of discussion. Rather than being placed in hospitals for treatment, mentally ill individuals are being placed into correctional facilities for their actions. Persons with serious mental illness (SMI) such as bi-polar disorder, severe depression, schizophrenia and etc. have trouble within society. Many lack income and stable living arrangements to be able to succeed in the community. 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