Episode 12: Mental Illness Behind The Wall

The correctional environment is not inherently conducive to optimum mental health. The ability to adjust to life in prison would be challenging for just about anyone, just imagine having a mental illness and trying to understand and process everything around you. To add insult to injury, you are now living in crowded living quarters and there is no privacy, putting you at an even higher risk of victimization. That reality makes prison for a mentally ill individuals a very tough pill to swallow. Correctional facilities have become the largest provider of mental health services. Despite the best efforts of mental health professionals some offenders do not receive the appropriate level of care. Systems are challenged by budgetary constraints and limited access to crucial tools needed to properly diagnose. Unfortunately, for the mentally ill population, all too often that means solitary confinement, neglect and, in some cases, death.