Camryn Harrell

Professor Barnes

ENG.1201.517

2 April 2019

Casebook

Amadeo, Kimberly. “Learn About Deinstitutionalization, the Causes and the Effects.” ​The

Balance​, 24 Jan. 2019, ​www.thebalance.com/deinstitutionalization-3306067​.

“Deinstitutionalization, It’s Causes, Effects, Pros and Cons,” written by Kimberly

Amadeo, is an article featured in The Balance, a website about money. The topic of

deinstitutionalization is categorized under Obamacare, and how to make the system work for

you. The author’s purpose is to inform the general public of the shift between mental asylums to

mental health centers, how it changed, and why it changed.

I found this to be a reliable source because it gave an in depth timeline of events leading

to deinstitutionalization with accurate and relevant information to my research topic. I plan to

use it to describe how there has always been a problem of how to handle the mentally ill,

struggling with money, room, and safety measures. This is all explained in a credible article I

could use to support my thesis. Many points of interest for my research essay in the timeline

were budget cuts in the system commonly happening, and different points of view between

political influences with how to care for the mentally ill.

A few key points I want to take from the article and bring towards my essay is their list of

pros and cons. The pros were to bring more rights to the mentally challenged, while keeping

them safe and comfortable. Another was a shift in our culture, and integrating the mentally ill
into society whenever possible. The cons of a mental health center were the lack of long term,

overnight care that many patients need. Others were the possible need to hold people against

their will, although it may be necessary, it’s illegal, and federal funding wasn’t enough to keep

the centers running efficiently.

Carroll, Heather. “Serious Mental Illness Prevalence in Jails and Prisons.” ​Treatment Advocacy

Center,​ Sept. 2016,

www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/evidence-and-research/learn-more-about/3695​.

In order to state and support my thesis, I need to show that mental illness in prison is a

serious problem. In my research I found the Treatment Advocacy Center, where I found a lot of

information on the ratios of the mentally ill to healthy inmates, how the criminal justice system

works in terms of caring for the mentally ill, and what actions have been taken to find the right

place for these individuals.

This group has carefully considered each detail of the situation, and I found their

information to be extremely helpful for research and credible. The website seems to be updated

frequently, and this article in particular was created within that last 3 years. They gathered

information from professionals in the fields of psychology, medicine, and criminal justice. I plan

to use many of the helpful statistics included in this article to really present the issue to my

audience. The statistic that stands out the most to me is that twenty percent in jail and fifteen

percent in state prisons of inmates are considered to have a serious mental illness. This would be

a good eye-opening introduction to my research paper. I can also support my thesis with the

reasons the Treatment Advocacy Center gives for giving the mentally ill the right treatment they
need, such as the mentally ill are more likely to commit suicide in prison, remain in prison

longer, cost more and cause the most behavioral problems leading to segregation.

Docherty, John P. “NAMI.” ​Home,​ 20 Oct. 2017,

nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/October-2017/Creating-New-Hope-for-Mental-Illness-and-t

he

-Crimi.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness was another great place to gather credible

information. Written by Dr. John Dockerty, “Creating New Hope for Mental Illness and the

Criminal Justice System,” provides accurate, current, and relevant information to use. This

article says that although the facts and statistics are alarming, America is unsure of how to fix the

problem entirely.

I plan to use the information I gathered to continue to support my thesis, and possibly

give a counterclaim. Many people don’t want to put the funds into the next steps for the cause,

because there have been many failed attempts that lead to the same problem, they aren’t getting

treated. To support my thesis, I will include many of the factors they showed were the problem

of the criminal justice system. This includes the high percentages of those in prison with a

mental illness, the amount of people that actually get treatment, can afford treatment, or can even

reach treatment.

Dolnick, Sam. “The 'Insane' Way Our Prison System Handles the Mentally Ill.” ​The New York

Times​, The New York Times, 22 May 2018,

www.nytimes.com/2018/05/22/books/review/insane-alisa-roth.html​.
 “The ‘Insane’ Way Our Prison System Handles the Mentally Ill,” written by Sam Dolnick

is a book analysis for “Insane,” by Alisa Roth. He uses many direct quotes and information given

in the book, that I was unable to access in the amount of time given for research. This explains

many of the studies and interviews Roth went through in order to gather research to prove her

point, which happens to be the same as mine. This article was a great opportunity to still obtain

information efficiently, with direct quotes and highly credible source, The New York Times, I

am able to trust that the information is useful for me.

Lawhorn, Chad. “County Updates Public on Efforts to Improve Jail, Mental Health Care.”

LJWorld.com,​ 23 Mar. 2015,

www2.ljworld.com/news/2015/mar/23/county-updates-public-efforts-improve-jail-mental

-/. I plan to use this article in the conclusion portion of my research paper, to show that there

have been steps taken to improve the situation. In this article, Chad Lawhorn explains that

because of spacing issues, the Douglas County Jail is making efforts to improve the situation,

and provide better help for these members of the community. The author also explains that this

will become much bigger than the county in order to come into effect lawfully. This newspaper

site is a credible source, unbiased, accurate information, and important to include in my research

paper.

“Position Statement 56: Mental Health Treatment in Correctional Facilities.” ​Mental Health

America​, 16 Mar. 2015,

www.mentalhealthamerica.net/positions/correctional-facility-treatment​.

This article from Mental Health America was used in my research in order to give more

information about prisons and mental health to support my thesis. A list of rights that inmates
with mental health treatment have in jail and prison is included in this article, and will be used to

show that there is treatment in prison, but it’s definitely not proper for these individuals with

their vulnerability, lack of understanding, and common behavioral problems.

Raphelson, Samantha. “How The Loss Of U.S. Psychiatric Hospitals Led To A Mental Health

Crisis.” ​NPR,​ NPR, 30 Nov. 2017,

www.npr.org/2017/11/30/567477160/how-the-loss-of-u-s-psychiatric-hospitals-led-to-a-

me

ntal-health-crisis.

The National Public Radio posted the article “How the Loss of U.S. Psychiatric Hospitals

Led to a Mental Health Crisis,” written by Samantha Raphelson, in order to speak out about the

problem, and even inform people on how this came about. I plan to use this information to give

my audience some backstory on my topic, in order to better explain how its a problem, and why.

The article explains that psychiatric hospitals closed down due to mistreatment, lack of funds,

and overpopulation. After they all closed down, many people had nowhere to go. The severe

cases went to hospitals, but after too many hospital beds filled up the same problem came about.

People were left with nothing, and eventually county jails and state prisons began flooding with

inmates with a mental illness, not given the proper treatment necessary. This article includes

accurate, unbiased, and relevant information for me to use in my research paper.

“Seeking Better Solutions for Inmates with Mental Illness.” ​Treatment Advocacy Center​, 25

Mar.

2015, ​www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/fixing-the-system/features-and-news/2799​.
 This is another source provided by the Treatment Advocacy center, focusing on the

possible solutions for this epidemic. ​Douglas County, Kansas Commission and Sheriff's

Department announced that they were to do research on finding a better fit for the inmates

dealing with mental illness. This is a big step, and much appreciated by the TAC. I plan to use

this information in my conclusion when talking about the steps taken to better serve the

community by including the mentally ill into society, not locking them behind bars.