Is it appropriate to incarcerate someone with a mental illness?

1 Dec, 2010  Mental Illness

Is it appropriate to incarcerate someone with a mental illness?

Are they “getting away” with the crime if they are housed in a mental health facility instead of a prison?



8 Comments

  1. icemancda273 said,

    Wrote on December 1, 2010 @ 10:37 am

    If they are a danger to society or themselves it is not inappropriate.

    They are not getting away with anything if they are confined to an institution and getting treatment.

  2. Ms Mighty said,

    Wrote on December 1, 2010 @ 10:41 am

    A mental health facility is always advised because the professionals there are trained to treat mental health patients well, and with compassion. Prison is for law offenders, not patients.

  3. TedEx said,

    Wrote on December 1, 2010 @ 11:25 am

    Either way, they’re out of circulation.

    If you are in prison, you are usually there for a pre-determined mount of time, example, 3 to 5 years withthe possibility of parole or probation before that. You are “”sentenced” to prison.

    If you are “” confined”" ( not sentenced) to a mental hospital, it is usually, ” until deemed competent to stand trial.” Translation: you get lost in the system and may be there for a long, long time. You are ” ordered to be confined” in a mental institution.

  4. Mark S said,

    Wrote on December 1, 2010 @ 12:18 pm

    you would be suprised to know that many are locked up for that very reason. Sad to say but it costs less to lock them up and keep them medicated that to house them in a mental hospital. So says society.

  5. Donk said,

    Wrote on December 1, 2010 @ 12:22 pm

    It really would depend on the mental illness and which mental health facility?

  6. Sunshine said,

    Wrote on December 1, 2010 @ 12:37 pm

    It isn’t appropriate, but it happens all the time. Statistics generally show about 1/3 of the prison population has an untreated mental illness, and they are likely not getting properly treated in prison, but it’s cheaper than a hospital. A mental health facility is still a lockdown, but it’s clearly situated to handle the problem. Prison is the result of the mental illness not being treated. You’d think they’d want to solve the problem.

  7. Logic316 - good guys wear black said,

    Wrote on December 1, 2010 @ 1:32 pm

    Most psychotic people are actually not dangerous unless they feel that they are being physically threatened. The ones that kill for no apparent reason, almost always have a bona-fide malicious personality in addition to their delusional and disoriented thinking. You can be both mentally ill and evil at the same time. If you have a fundamental disregard for human life, whatever disorders you happen to have are immaterial.

  8. trooper3316 said,

    Wrote on December 1, 2010 @ 2:08 pm

    Unless the illness prevents them from identifying right from wrong, it is quite appropriate to incarcerate them.

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