Initiatives Concerning Mental Health in Prisons
Date of Award
Spring 2023
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Historical & Political Studies; College of Arts & Sciences
First Advisor
Angela Kachuyevski
Abstract
In recent years, the United States incarceration system has become the largest provider of housing and treatment for mentally ill individuals due to the closure of state psychiatric hospitals in the 1950’s. This thesis examines how mental illness intersects with incarceration, and the impact this has on individuals. In order to conduct my research, I am using criminalization theory to explore why individuals suffering from mental illness are more likely to be incarcerated, deep freeze theory to explore how their illness is impacted by incarceration, and school of rehabilitation to analyze the reintegration process. I use process tracing to conduct a heuristic case study on the state of Oregon. Through this case study, I employ a framework that uses two different factors to analyze this cycle: internal factors and external factors. Ultimately, I find that programming that the Oregon Department of Corrections has implemented in regards to mental health has improved the quality of life for prisoners not only while incarcerated, but also post release.
Recommended Citation
modugno, christina, "Initiatives Concerning Mental Health in Prisons" (2023). Capstone Showcase. 4.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/showcase/2023/pgl/4
Initiatives Concerning Mental Health in Prisons
In recent years, the United States incarceration system has become the largest provider of housing and treatment for mentally ill individuals due to the closure of state psychiatric hospitals in the 1950’s. This thesis examines how mental illness intersects with incarceration, and the impact this has on individuals. In order to conduct my research, I am using criminalization theory to explore why individuals suffering from mental illness are more likely to be incarcerated, deep freeze theory to explore how their illness is impacted by incarceration, and school of rehabilitation to analyze the reintegration process. I use process tracing to conduct a heuristic case study on the state of Oregon. Through this case study, I employ a framework that uses two different factors to analyze this cycle: internal factors and external factors. Ultimately, I find that programming that the Oregon Department of Corrections has implemented in regards to mental health has improved the quality of life for prisoners not only while incarcerated, but also post release.