PBS Video – The Released – Questions
Cassie Haubenhofer

1. Why do you think so many people are diagnosed with mental illness in the criminal justice system? Why do you think so many offenders in the criminal justice system suffer from mental illness?

I believe so many are diagnosed with mental illness in the criminal justice system due to their repetitive actions of law breaking. In the beginning, these offenders are unaware a mental illness exists. So many offenders have pre-existing mental illnesses which are untreated; others may acquire a mental illness while incarcerated. This could be due to aging, or an occurrence which takes place in prison such as segregation. Separating humans from and isolating them from any population is …show more content…

Finally, an argument which continues in modern times is the integration of human rights paradigm into mental health care. Is this humane? Is it

8. Why do you think that so many offenders with mental illness find themselves homeless after their release from prison? Barely able to take care of themselves in prison without the proper assistance or medical help offenders often end up homeless after release because they are not discharged with the proper tools and/or supervision. It is all too common for anyone with mental illnesses to care for themselves. The prisons however don’t always provide a reentry program targeted to those with mental illnesses, thus the most dangerous ex-convicts off of medications have no resources to help them build a new life. These would be due to none effective prison mental health services. Jail or Prison diversion programs for example are geared toward this exact issue of offenders becoming homeless after their release. The term "jail diversion" refers to programs that divert individuals with serious mental illness (and often co-occurring substance use disorders) away from jail and provide linkages to community-based treatment and support services. The individual thus avoids arrest or spends a significantly reduced time period in jail and/or lockups