Convict mental health - pay now, or later
Why should we provide decent mental health care for imprisoned federal convicts? For protection of course. Because most of these guys get out, and if they haven't been treated – or even assessed – it's unlikely they'll go straight. It's more likely they commit new crimes and, in some cases, hurt more people.
Need some examples? Read the parole records of just a few of the hundreds of cases I've followed over the years:
Bank robber James Freeman
Killer Stephen Sinclair
Rapist Rene Bourdon
You'll see references to ongoing mental health problems, and these are violent crooks who keep getting out. The parole board frees them, but it is Corrections Canada's job to treat them while they're locked up.
The files of many repeat offenders are sadly predictable – littered with references to untreated mental health problems and related addictions or problems that require the kind of community monitoring and treatment that isn't available or isn't provided as efficiently as needed.
In his annual report, the federal prison ombudsman recently blasted the Correctional Service for its ongoing failures in mental health services:
Some hardliners suggest we should just keep them all locked up indefinitely. That isn't an workable option, unless every citizen is prepared to fork other thousands more in annual tax dollars to build a prison-industrial complex of mammoth proportions. Our federal system, with more than 13,000 convicts now, is already bursting at the seams at a time when the Tory government in Ottawa is pushing ahead with legislative changes that will annually pour thousands more prisoners into our penitentiaries. We're already spending roughly $2 billion a year on a system of 58 overcrowded and crumbling institutions. One new penitentiary, with enough space for 400 convicts, costs about $100 million. Corrections plans to spend more than three quarters of a billion dollars over the next five years to fix existing cells and build new. It seems to boil down to a case of, as a famous old TV commercial warned, 'Pay me now or pay me later,' - in this case, spend more on treatment while cons are locked up, or face steeper costs – social and financial – later, when they're released and commit new crimes.
Related
» Remarkable plan for portable prisons
Need some examples? Read the parole records of just a few of the hundreds of cases I've followed over the years:
Bank robber James Freeman
Killer Stephen Sinclair
Rapist Rene Bourdon
You'll see references to ongoing mental health problems, and these are violent crooks who keep getting out. The parole board frees them, but it is Corrections Canada's job to treat them while they're locked up.
The files of many repeat offenders are sadly predictable – littered with references to untreated mental health problems and related addictions or problems that require the kind of community monitoring and treatment that isn't available or isn't provided as efficiently as needed.
In his annual report, the federal prison ombudsman recently blasted the Correctional Service for its ongoing failures in mental health services:
Federal correctional mental health care services are under extreme duress—there are deficiencies in terms of capacity, quality, standards and responsiveness of care. Criminalizing and then warehousing the mentally ill burdens our justice system and does nothing to improve public safety. The demands in this area of corrections are increasing dramatically; the unmet needs are immediate and troubling.
Some hardliners suggest we should just keep them all locked up indefinitely. That isn't an workable option, unless every citizen is prepared to fork other thousands more in annual tax dollars to build a prison-industrial complex of mammoth proportions. Our federal system, with more than 13,000 convicts now, is already bursting at the seams at a time when the Tory government in Ottawa is pushing ahead with legislative changes that will annually pour thousands more prisoners into our penitentiaries. We're already spending roughly $2 billion a year on a system of 58 overcrowded and crumbling institutions. One new penitentiary, with enough space for 400 convicts, costs about $100 million. Corrections plans to spend more than three quarters of a billion dollars over the next five years to fix existing cells and build new. It seems to boil down to a case of, as a famous old TV commercial warned, 'Pay me now or pay me later,' - in this case, spend more on treatment while cons are locked up, or face steeper costs – social and financial – later, when they're released and commit new crimes.
Related
» Remarkable plan for portable prisons
Labels: Convicts, Correctional Investigator, mental health
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posted at 11:02 PM PERMALINK
3 Comments:
I couldn't disagree more. The idea that you can treat the mental health of prison inmates and save prison space is a delusion. Actually the idea you can treat anyone and fix their mental health problems is a delusion. The issue of pedophiles is perhaps the easiest to understand; everyone now agrees this condition is untreatable. Similarly anti-social psychopaths are certainly smart enough to fake their own recovery, then strike again once they're outside.
For my money, the building of big new prisons is the best investment in public safety possible. Too bad no government, of any political stripe in Canada, has the fortitude to do so.
ok Frank! Did you just fall of the freakin turnip cart? With your blinders on? Come on! Everyone now does NOT agree this condition is untreatable. Where do you get your info from? The percentage of rehabilitation is very low but that does not say that it is untreatable. You cant just go around and group everyone in the same category. Maybe the ped that CAN be rehabilitated should be given a second look. I only say that because I know someone dear to me that made that mistake as a teen then just confessed because he couldnt live with his crime anymore. His guilt came after he was diagnosed with a mental illness, got on proper meds then came back down to earth. His parole officer, social worker, psychiatrist believe in him - that he is in that small percentage that WILL make it. Not to mention, other parole officers, sw's etc that just know him thru his primary workers totally agree. He is scared shitless to get out because he knows that he is facing much difficulty. Dont get me wrong. I had total disgust and made promises of revenge if anyone ever touched my kid. Until this happened to my friends kid. All of our friends are behind him too because they know that it wasnt his true self that committed the crime. Improper diagnosis of mental illness left him without meds that were vital to his mental health. This support he sees, gives him confidence, that not EVERYONE hates him. The whole problem with repeat offenders is the lack of rehab programs in the slammer. They cant learn their lesson without some help. Not everyone comes from a good family life. Scars stay. Anger takes over. Without you even knowing. Instead of spending money on a super prison, the government could allocate that money to hire many more professionals to help some of these humans with damaged souls. I am convinced that the rate of recidivism of all crimes would go down. Cant you believe in second chances? What if it was you that needed a second chance. And dont tell me that you wouldnt make a mistake, because "everyone knows that" nobody is perfect. Live and let live,
I'm sorry to hear about bananafuzz4's friend, but the truth is that most criminals are just evil people who got caught. To say you can 'treat' them is silly. We can't even treat ourselves, much less someone else. Try to lose 50 lbs. and see how far you get. bananafuzz4 says, "The whole problem with repeat offenders is the lack of rehab programs in the slammer." No, the whole problem with repeat offenders is that most prisoners are scumbags who keep doing what they've always done.
The whole Progressive idea that prison is a kind of treatment home for abused victims of circumstance is pathetic. Prison is to keep psychopaths off the street. The only real problem with prison is that there isn't enough of them, they aren't big enough and they aren't far enough north.
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