The New Asylums

Over 2 million people in the United States are prison inmates. Nearly 500,000 of those inmates are mentally ill. As more psychiatric hospitals are shut down, the patients are thrown on the streets. Most mentally ill prisoners are arrested for minor infractions often involving property. Since the psychiatric hospitals are disappearing faster and faster, the mentally ill are left to be dealt with by police, which is why they end up in prison. Most mentally ill inmates in maximum security prisons have already been filtered through minimum and medium security prisons. They also remain in prison typically for longer amounts of time, with the supporting fact that parole for mentally ill inmates is near impossible. The mentally ill inmates are kept separate from the regular prisoners, in mental health units, where they can receive treatment. In some cases, the treatment given at the prison is often the first treatment received by the inmates. Many of the mentally ill inmates become extremely depressed while imprisoned, which leads to them becoming delusional, suicidal, and psychotic. A good chunk of inmates also resort to self mutilation. The mentally ill patients are given regulated medications, but often stop taking the medication because they believe it is making them " worse". That results to extreme deteriorating mental state, and extreme disobedience/misconduct. Often in these situations where the inmate is acting out, the SWAT team is used to help constrain and stabilize them. If an inmate get to this level, they are sent to "segregation", which in other words, is known as solitary confinement.  Mental health consultants say that the mentally ill that are sent to segregation, often come out worse than they went in. In addition, inmates sent to segregation under false diagnosis, will more often than not, become mentally ill while in confinement. 

In fact, some prisons are setting up their own psychiatric hospitals, in which the inmates who are transferred are treated more like patients, instead of prisoners. They are not confined to a cell, but have Day Room privileges, and cafeteria rights as well. But, however, the prison hospitals are only for short term, acute care. The patients are sent back to prison once they are "better" or have improved. The main goal of these prison hospitals is to stabilize, while making the patients feel normal instead of alienated. 

There are so few psychiatric hospitals left, long term care seems almost impossible outside of maximum security prisons. In most of the United States, vast numbers of mentally ill inmates are receiving little to no care for their illnesses.