FINAL PROJECT ASSISTANCE

Final Project Step I: Revising the Problem/Purpose Statement and Choosing the Approach

Monique D Brown Faust

Walden University

RSCH 8360F

Revising the Problem/Purpose Statement and Choosing the Approach

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Mental illness within the criminal justice system presents various challenges, including ensuring appropriate treatment and support for individuals with mental health concerns, reducing recidivism rates, and promoting their overall well-being. The care for justice involved mentally ill individuals is still a significant problem. According to the World Health Organization it defines mental illness as a condition that involves one’s self-awareness, the ability to produce fruitful and productive work, and the ability to manage one’s every day stresses (Segal et al, 2018). It has been found that an individual diagnosed with a mental illnesses is often incapable of carrying out normal daily task due to their disease. After the de-institutionalization of mentally ill individuals in 1965, these individuals became some of the most stigmatized groups in the world (Vitiello, 2010).

The integration of a multidisciplinary care team can address these challenges by bringing together professionals from various disciplines, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and parole officers, to collaboratively plan and manage the care of mentally ill individuals in the criminal court system. This team can work together to assess the mental health needs of the individuals, develop comprehensive treatment plans, monitor progress, and provide ongoing support (MHCC, 2020).

There is a great concern to address the unique needs of mentally ill justice-involved individuals within the criminal court system by implementing a multidisciplinary care team approach. By doing so, this approach aims to improve the quality of care, enhance the chances of successful rehabilitation and reintegration into the community, and reduce the likelihood of future criminal involvement (MHCC, 2020).

PURPOSE STATEMENT

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological design study is to examine the experiences of justice involved mentally ill individuals involvement with the court system, as well as the multi-disciplinary professional care team that works with these individuals, during their case proceedings. The phenomenological is most appropriate for this research study, due to its ability to is align with individuals that have lived experiences by either being a justice involved mentally ill individual, or the professional apart of the multi-disciplinary support team. "The purpose of utilizing a multidisciplinary care team for mentally ill individuals involved in the criminal court system is to ensure that their mental health needs are adequately addressed throughout the legal process. By bringing together professionals from various disciplines, this approach aims to provide comprehensive assessment, treatment, and support, ultimately promoting the well-being and successful rehabilitation of these individuals. The multidisciplinary team aims to minimize recidivism rates, enhance community reintegration, and improve overall outcomes for mentally ill justice-involved individuals."(MHCC, 2020).

APPROACH

According to Ravitch and Carl (2021), phenomenology approaches describes the true meaning from one’s on lived experiences. For this research study a phenomenology approach is most appropriate because of the ability to connect with a identified group of individuals and their lived experiences. This approach would allow the researcher to connect with this group and experience and personal analysis of their positive and negative experiences having a multi-disciplinary team working directly within them in criminal court.

RESEARCH QUESTION

What are the benefits having a multi-disciplinary professional team, working with justice involved mentally ill individuals in the criminal court system?

Reference

Mental Health Commission of Canada. (2020). The mental health needs of justiceinvolved persons: A rapid scoping review of the literature. Ottawa, Canada.

Ravitch, S. M., & Carl, N. M. (2021). Qualitative research: Bridging the conceptual, theoretical,

and Methodological . SAGE.

Segal, A.F., Winfree, L.T., Friedman, S. (2018). Mental Health and Criminal Justice

United States: Wolters Kluwer Law & Business.

Vitiello, M. (2010). Addressing the special problems of mentally ill prisoners: A small piece of

the solution to our nation's prison crisis. Dev. UL Rev., 88, 57.