Contemporary Issue in Criminal Justice
Walden University
History and Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice
CRJS 8350
14:53:50 GMT -05:00
, Contemporary Issue in Criminal Justice
Current state of mental health treatment in criminal justice.
Mental health treatment has always been a topic of in-depth conversation
throughout history, especially in criminal justice. In 1841, Dorothy Dix identified mental health
concerns in many incarcerated individuals during an observation in East Cambridge Jail (Fisher
et al., 2014). Although there is documented recovery programs and interventions, nearly 170
years later, the same issues continue to exist (Fisher et al., 2014, p. 811).
Treatment of mental health conditions while incarcerated needs to be at the forefront of
recovery plans for offenders. The response to rehabilitation must include mental health diagnosis
and treatment. Many offenders suffer from an underlying mental health issue. Many have utilized
drugs to self-medicate or use negative coping mechanisms to deal with the issue at hand. Mental
health terms in relation to this paper include schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder, bipolar
disorder, narcissism, and trauma related disorders. Any individual can be diagnosed with a
mental health related issue. It is difficult to narrow treatment or diagnosis to one specific cause.
However, providing an assessment during intake can help guide programming designed to
decrease recidivism of the inmate.
In most county, state, and federal prisons, mental health assessments are mandatory
during intake. This process includes mental health assessments, suicide assessments, and
depression scales. These are necessary assessments which determine the need for isolation, one
to one watch, or general population placements. An individual needs to score in relation to their
and other inmates’ safety. Should an individual score high on a suicide assessment, they are
places on a one-to-one watch and often removed of any clothing or objects which could be used
14:53:50 GMT -05:00
Walden University
History and Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice
CRJS 8350
14:53:50 GMT -05:00
, Contemporary Issue in Criminal Justice
Current state of mental health treatment in criminal justice.
Mental health treatment has always been a topic of in-depth conversation
throughout history, especially in criminal justice. In 1841, Dorothy Dix identified mental health
concerns in many incarcerated individuals during an observation in East Cambridge Jail (Fisher
et al., 2014). Although there is documented recovery programs and interventions, nearly 170
years later, the same issues continue to exist (Fisher et al., 2014, p. 811).
Treatment of mental health conditions while incarcerated needs to be at the forefront of
recovery plans for offenders. The response to rehabilitation must include mental health diagnosis
and treatment. Many offenders suffer from an underlying mental health issue. Many have utilized
drugs to self-medicate or use negative coping mechanisms to deal with the issue at hand. Mental
health terms in relation to this paper include schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder, bipolar
disorder, narcissism, and trauma related disorders. Any individual can be diagnosed with a
mental health related issue. It is difficult to narrow treatment or diagnosis to one specific cause.
However, providing an assessment during intake can help guide programming designed to
decrease recidivism of the inmate.
In most county, state, and federal prisons, mental health assessments are mandatory
during intake. This process includes mental health assessments, suicide assessments, and
depression scales. These are necessary assessments which determine the need for isolation, one
to one watch, or general population placements. An individual needs to score in relation to their
and other inmates’ safety. Should an individual score high on a suicide assessment, they are
places on a one-to-one watch and often removed of any clothing or objects which could be used
14:53:50 GMT -05:00
