Prisoners with Special Needs

Prisoners with Special Needs

Jane Doe

University of Phoenix

Introduction to Corrections – CJA 234

February 2, 2015

Paul Smith, Instructor

Prisoners with Special Needs

The United States Corrections system is home to many hundreds of thousands of prisoners. The inmate population is comprised of people from every element of modern civilization to be thought of.  People from all occupations, social, and economic classes are incarcerated in prisons all across the country for crimes they have been accused of, tried, and convicted for.  In addition to social and economic differences, the inmate population of the U.S. also houses prisoners who may require special needs.  

The paper will provide an overview of the effects of special needs, mentally ill and substance-abusing prisoners in jail and prisons systems at state and federal levels.  It will also describe the impact of special needs prisoners not being cared for properly. Finally, it will illustrate the characteristics of a special offender program aimed to assist these offenders as well as how the program affects them.  

The Affects of Special Needs, Mentally Ill, and Substance-Abusing Prisoners on Jail and Prison Systems at State and Federal Levels

 “A special needs inmate has a physical or mental disability that limits his or her capacity to function in the normal inmate population” (Command & Control, n.d., slide 5).  Although descriptive of some, this definition only covers a fraction of the special inmate population. In addition to those who are mentally and physically limited, inmates who have other differences could be considered special needs prisoners simply because additional care must be provided to protect them from the general population.

Prisoners with mental health issues present an extreme challenge for both federal and state institutions simply because of the disproportionately large number of prisoners who have mental health care needs.  According to "Prisoners with Special Needs "(2009), "Resent research conducted among 23,000 prisoners in 12 western countries concluded that several million prisoners worldwide probably had serious mental disabilities” (Prisoners with mental health care needs).  In 2006, U.S. prison systems reported treating inmates for various mental illnesses in staggering numbers.  The reports revealed over 56 percent of state prisoners, 45 percent of federal prisoners, and 64 percent of jail inmates received treatment for or reported sever symptoms of major depression, mania, or marked psychotic disorders  ("Prisoners with Special Needs ", 2009).  The extraordinary rate of mental disabilities among prisoner in jail, state or federal institutions can be attributed to many interconnected influences.  For one, due to the very nature of prison confinement itself, all prisoners are at a higher risk of developing a range of mental disabilities, regardless of whether they had specific mental health care needs when they entered  ("Prisoners with Special Needs ", 2009).