The law
affects nearly every aspect of our lives. We have laws that regulate common
activities such as driving a car and renting an apartment and laws that deal
with crimes such as robbery and other threats and challenges to society. The
criminal justice system represents any interaction with the justice system from
police officers, court rooms and prisons to state run rehabilitation programs,
probation services and half way houses. The economic impact of the criminal
justice system in Canada represent an average cost of incarcerating of a
federal prisoner per day is $259.05. Given that the length of stay in a federal
penitentiary is a minimum of 2 years, each inmate costs the Canadian taxpayer
$189,106.50 annually. The goal of the criminal justice system should always be
rehabilitation and reintegration to life outside of prison.
However, the
number of people with mental health problems entering the criminal justice
system has been increasing, and the prevalence of mental illness in prisons is
significantly higher than the general population. Canada’s jails and penitentiaries are rapidly
becoming the largest mental health providers in the country.
Mental
health care in Canadian jails and prisons is insufficient and many offenders
with mental health concerns are moved into correctional segregation for
protection due to their inability to cope with regular prison settings.
Individuals being released from correctional institutions, who report
experiencing stigma due to their criminal justice involvement, find themselves
being ‘bumped’ or ‘overlooked’ by community mental health services. Take Trevor
as an example.
Trevor has been in and out of jail since he was a teenager, and is
now 35 years old. He has been diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder,
schizophrenia, and antisocial personality disorder. He also has an acquired
brain injury. While living in a halfway house, Trevor’s mental health care
professional helped him to gain employment through a supported employment
agency for persons with mental illness. Trevor was able to develop a personal
daily routine that included going for walks, reading, and cooking for himself.
The mental health care professional educated Trevor to help him better
understand mental illness, and has taught him coping skills to help adjust to
life outside of prison.
With the available research evidence showing the
effectiveness of services for people with mental health problems, and improved
mental health reducing involvement with the criminal justice system, “the issue
is not whether effective treatment exists but whether it is consistently
available to the people who need it, and whether or not these individuals
continuously avail themselves of treatment” When the services are available and
an offender has access to them, the return to life outside the criminal justice
system can be successful. There is a need for federal investment to insure that
a vulnerable population is not left without the mental health services they
need.
Provided by the Canadian Association of Occupational
Therapists, for more information please visit www.caot.ca
