Guest Post: The U.S Revolving Door of Shame by Gerald Bouthner

The U.S. Revolving Door of Shame

As a mental health advocate and fellow mental illness sufferer, I get really perturbed by the inequality that has persisted in our health care system. One particular thing that sickens me is all the prison cells, park benches, cold concrete sidewalks, and alleys, that have become homes/bedrooms for so many mental illness sufferers. In the U.S. it seems like the mentally ill who have lost all family support are very easily ignored and forgotten. Maybe even viewed as a bothersome bunch, and are sent off to live on the streets. In turn, many of them end up regularly in our prison systems.

Homelessness is a big problem here in the U.S. as is the number of chronically mentally ill that inhabit our prisons. In 2007 The National Alliance to End Homelessness estimated that nearly 750,000 Americans experience homelessness on any given night in the U.S. Of the 750,000 homeless it is reported that 1/3 about 250,000 of them have a chronic mental illness.

Because of the horrible, ineffective, and dehumanizing treatment record of State Mental Health Hospitals, there was a continual move in the 1980's to shut down the majority of them. Most of our chronically mentally ill citizens were discharged supposedly into a better community health care center program. Upon release from the Mental Health State Hospitals they were suppose to receive rehabilitation and drug therapy from these new federally funded community mental health centers. However this transition did not come anywhere close to fulfilling its expectations. Many within 6 months of discharge were homeless and unmedicated.

Not much has changed since this travesty of improved treatment and rehabilitation of the mentally ill occurred. Today, three times the amount of people with severe cases of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder live in the streets than are being treated in our State Mental Health Hospitals.

Equally deplorable is the amount of mentally ill U.S. citizens whose homes become a small cell inside our jail systems. Sad to say, but I would imagine that for some it may be viewed the better of the two given options. Prison food is certainly nothing most would consider as a fine meal. However, in comparison to living on the streets and digging through trash cans as some have to do, it may be considered a step up by some.

In 2006 a study was conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics showing that 64 percent of local jail inmates, 56 percent of state prisoners and 45 percent of federal prisoners have symptoms of serious mental illnesses. As result of this horribly executed deinstitusionalization many of of our mentally ill have been left with prison systems as their means for treatment.

The mental health services in our prison systems being left to treat the mentally ill has proven equivalently as helpful as putting a band-aid on a broken bone. They were not prepared or set up for this, are understaffed, limited in programs, and have been unable to provide any meaningful treatment. Most of the homeless mentally ill upon release from prison are no better than they were when they arrived and return to the streets having no where else to go. They are trapped in a revolving door between homelessness and incarceration.

Where is the justice? Are the mentally ill just dispensable? This stands as a sad testament to our mental health care system. These chronically mentally ill people deserve better treatment. Appearances declare that they are not deemed equal or deserving of proper care. Many States have even been cutting their mental health care budgets amidst this crisis.

If such improper care was placed upon cancer patients a loud outcry would occur. It would be considered inhumane, and I agree. Although mental illness is not a terminal illness, the suffering it inflicts is severe. Such lack of necessary mental health treatment, and allowance of a revolving door between homelessness and jail is also inhumane. But where is the outcry? If more cried out for change more change could occur. Some people feel their one voice is not strong enough. The truth is that one outcry can snowball into many. But someone has to cry first.

In most cases the imprisonment of the homeless mentally ill is a result of them trying to survive a life on the streets. Petty survival crimes such as theft and loitering, and disturbance of the peace, are the most common crimes they are sent to jail for. Jail officials have been speaking out about this noticeable problem. Recently in the news their has been talk by Chicago Jail officials about setting up a program that screens non-violent suspects as they come into jail, determining who is mentally ill and then potentially providing low income housing and treatment before they ever spend a night in the slammer. Video and story

This is certainly a great move in the right direction. This is a program that if enacted nationwide will provide proper deserving care for people that have suffered far to long. By doing nothing we are continuing the forceful push of our homeless mentally ill through that same revolving door. The U.S. is in the process of making what I would deem meaningful needed changes in our mental health care system. Project Aware Pages 11-13 highlights those.

However this issue of homelessness and incarceration of the mentally ill has not been addressed in this plan. This particular lack of equal treatment also needs to be addressed as a nation as it has been ignored for far to long.

About Author: Gerald Bouthner is a Mental Health Advocate, Blogger, and Guest Writer on Various Mental Health Blogs. Find out more about Gerald at The Challenges of Mental Illness or contact him via social media: Twitter Google+ Facebook

Gerald Bouthner Bipolar Disorder Blogger and Activist http://mentalhealthlivingwithbipolar.blogspot.com

My blog: "Working at Home"