SOC 324 Crime and Violence Issue Worksheet
● Choose a topic. What is your chosen crime or
violence issue? Choose from the following list
and provide a brief preliminary overview. Your
overview will simply be 1–2 sentences
describing why this issue is important to you and
to society in general.
● Decriminalization of responsible drug use
● Intervention on the issue of campus rape
● Prisons as mental health institutions
● Militarization of police
● Institutionalized racism in a chosen area of the
criminal justice system
● Other issue (if approved by instructor)
I've made the decision to write a piece about how prisons'
mental health services are utilized. This icebreaker centers
on the notion that prisons can significantly boost economic
growth. In an article titled "PRISON AND THE MENTALLY
ILL," dysfunctional behaviors of detainees who need clinical
care while in custody but have very little access to
treatment are described.
● Introduce your social advocacy group. This is an
advocacy group of your own creation. In other
words, if you were to establish an advocacy
group dedicated to the work of your issue, what
does that advocacy group look like and what are
its ultimate goals (e.g., public awareness,
political action, social action, changing laws)?
● Explain the work the group does related to the
topic area.
● Explain how the social issue aligns with the
group’s ultimate goals.
The social support I create would focus on evolving
regulations as well as public mindfulness. The goal of my
social advocacy group is to protect mentally ill prisoners;
those who have received a diagnosis will be cared for
separately from the other prisoners who have not received
a diagnosis. This support group would emphasize the
importance of locking up mentally ill people for treatment.
Not just locking them up, but also treating their mental
illness is necessary. The support group wants to show that
not all people with mental illness should be locked up, but
that they should still be taken seriously because of their
mental incarceration. Another goal is to increase public
awareness of the need for treatment for prisoners with
mental illnesses.
● Begin research: Provide summaries and
citations of some of the sources you are finding
related to this topic area. Include two or more
sources here.
“ .” ✍️ YouTube, 30 August 2022,
https://www.prisonfellowship.org/2011/09/prison-
and-the-mentally-ill/?
utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campa
ign=MW_PFM_990-45266_googlegrant-
fy23_20220701_GNWAAG230104000&utm_content
=nil_nil_nil_nil&ms=GNWAAG230104000&mwm_id
=295776850205&mwsc=PFM-990-G. Accessed 23
July 2023.
This article discusses the US, at least 350,000
prisoners suffer from psychological maladjustment,
but the prison system is not set up to treat and care
for them in a way that is satisfactory to them. The
law enforcement framework was not designed to
handle mentally ill individuals, leading to
understaffed and underfunded mental health
facilities inside prisons. Many mentally unstable
detainees are discovered bumbling to stand trial and
are returned into their networks without proper
conclusion or treatment. This creates a pattern of
recaptures and costs taxpayers a significant sum of
money. While society needs protection from violent
criminals, a system that fails to provide adequate
care and repeatedly sends offenders to prison is
insufficient and expensive.
“Serious Mental Illness Prevalence in Jails and
Prisons.” Treatment Advocacy Center, September
2016,
https://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/evidence-
and-research/learn-more-about/3695. Accessed 23
July 2023.
This article discusses the lives inside a mentally
disorted prisoner who needs serious help. The
quantity of people with serious dysfunctional
behavior in the US amendments framework has
arrived at disturbing levels, with correctional facilities
and jails currently being alluded to as "the new
havens." Truth be told, a few correctional facilities
hold more deranged prisoners than any leftover
mental clinic in the country. Roughly 20% of
detainees in correctional facilities and 15% in state
jails are assessed to have a serious dysfunctional
behavior. This intends that there were around
383,000 people with serious mental sickness in US
correctional facilities and state jails in 2014, almost
multiple times the quantity of patients staying in
state medical clinics. Deranged prisoners will
generally remain in prison longer, battle to observe
guidelines, and cost more to imprison. They likewise
face social administration issues and are bound to
end it all.
● Preliminary position statement: Explain your
position on the social issue as a research
assistant for your social advocacy group. Try to
refine your position into a clear and succinct
position statement that your advocacy group
might use on its website or in its materials. This
statement is preliminary at this point, and may
evolve as you continue your research.
Correctional facilities and jails are being referred to as "the new havens"
due to the alarmingly high number of people with severe dysfunctional
behavior in the US legal system. Actually, fewer prisons house more
mentally disturbed inmates than any remaining mental hospital in the
nation. According to assessments, 15% of inmates in state jails and
about 20% of prisoners in correctional facilities exhibit seriously
dysfunctional behavior. This means that in 2014, there were
approximately 383,000 people with serious mental illnesses incarcerated
in US correctional facilities and state jails, which is nearly a multiple of
the number of patients receiving care at state medical facilities.
Deranged inmates typically struggle to follow rules, stay in prison longer,
and cost more to house.
● Stereotypes: As you work through the research,
you will begin to uncover stereotypes related to
your issue. What have you discovered thus far?
Sometimes, when you see homeless people or angry
people, you assume that they are using drugs. The person
may have been mistreated and assistance denied due to
mental illnesses, though. Or someone kicking trash around
or throwing bottles could be mentally ill. Unfortunately, we
may all have had experiences where we felt that the person
should be imprisoned to keep them off the streets and away
from drugs.
● Further exploration: What have you come across
that you want to find out more about? This
section is for notes to yourself about additional
research you plan to pursue.
I am already aware that if a prisoner exhibits signs of
mental illness, they are placed on 24 or 48 hour hold in a 4
walled, 6 by 8 foot cell. Do they ever monitor them to see if
they are hurting themselves, which would be a sign that
they shouldn't be left alone?
● Questions: Any questions for the instructor
about the project or the topic area. (This area is
optional.)
What else may I add for mentally ill I included more
awareness for the mentally ill in prison due to that they will
decide to commit suicide to make it all over instead of
suffering inside their own mental. I know I asked if I may
add homelessness as a connection with prison but I don’t
think it would tie in, please let me know. Maybe I can use
homelessness as a stereotype that they do not want to hire.
Due to the fact they have not showered or they just do not
look presentable to the public eye.
Note: In many cases, you will write more than the size of the text box provided above, which is fine—use as much
space as you need. If you have to go on to additional pages, the boxes will expand automatically as you write more.
