Prisoners with Special Needs

1019 Words5 Pages
Prisoners with Special Needs * The purpose of this paper is to discuss and understand prisoners with special needs within our corrections system. This paper will examine how special needs, mentally ill, and substance-abusing prisoners affect the jail and prison systems at the state and federal levels. Also, an analysis of what could happen if these prisoners were not cared for properly will be given. Additionally this paper will provide insight to a selected prison special offender population and show research of a program aimed to assist or care for that population. The characteristics of the program will be given, as well as how the program has affected the special needs offender population in that prison. * * The Special Needs Prisoner within Corrections * The special needs offender is one whose circumstance, behaviors, or condition requires treatment or management outside the approach of normal supervision. Within this scope include the mentally ill, elderly, disabled, and substance abusers among many other categories. * * Special Needs Effect on Jail and Prison Systems * The mentally ill inmate increase may be due to the creation of anti-psychotic drugs. After the creation of these drugs and the closure of psychiatric wards, people stopped taking their drugs, and the effects of their illnesses, treatment was not received, and their behaviors deteriorated. Thus, crimes were committed, and inmate population increased. These inmates are more likely than any other type of inmate to have behavioral issues. As of 2005 there were 1,255,700 mentally ill inmates recorded within our state and federal prisons (Seiter, 2011). * According to Seiter (2011), in 2004 drug dependence or abuse criteria in the State prison was met by 40.3% of inmates and in Federal prison systems was met by 48.6%. Treatment for these prisoners is necessary for

More about Prisoners with Special Needs

Open Document