I previously read and reviewed a book similar to this one - about America's incarceration of large numbers of mentally ill individuals. Insane: America's Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness by Alisa Roth. My review: https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
In this book, 'Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness', Pete Earley writes about different prisons than Roth, but the basic story is similar. People with mental problems - such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder; depression; etc. - can't (or don't, or won't) get appropriate treatments and end up in jail, sometimes for relatively minor offenses.
Author Pete Earley
Then, because the accused are 'not fit' to stand trial; or can't deal with their circumstances; or are horribly mistreated in prison, they stay incarcerated for WAY too long, and often emerge sicker than when they went in.
Earley 'follows' several mentally ill people who were arrested, and documents their progress (or lack thereof) in and out of prison. All of the stories are compelling.....and none of them end well.
Both Roth's and Earley's books emphasize how difficult it is to make any changes in the system, no matter how hard (well-intentioned) people try.
Because the books are similar, I'm not going to write an extensive review of this one. I do, however, want to mention a couple of issues Earley addresses.
- Earley clearly illustrates the struggle to make mentally ill people 'competent' to stand trial. Jail inmates who are considered 'incompetent' are sent to hospitals where they're medicated and 'taught' the basic lessons of jurisprudence: what a trial is; what a prosecutor does; what a defense attorney does; what a jury is; and so on.
Once they're 'competent', the prisoners are sent back to stand trial. Often, the sick people will stop taking their medications and - if they trial doesn't take place very quickly - will forget the lessons. They're then sent back to the hospital.....and a vicious circle ensues.
- Earley also writes about a difficult situation in his own family. Earley's son Michael succumbed to bipolar disorder in college, when he was legally an adult. Earley took his son to the hospital and tried to get him treated, but doctors couldn't medicate Michael without his consent - and Michael didn't think he was ill.
Pete Earley and his son Michael
During a psychotic phase Michael broke into an expensive home, trashed it, and took a bath. The homeowners were furious and frightened - worried that Michael might return when they were home and do who knows what.
Thus the house's residents wanted Michael put on trial (and sent to jail) while Michael's father - who thought his son was a victim of bad laws - wanted the boy treated. The resulting drama went on for many months, with each side being unsympathetic to the viewpoint of the other.
In fact Michael was repeatedly taken to doctors and given prescriptions for anti-psychotics, but it was an uphill battle to convince him to keep taking them.....as is the case with many mentally ill individuals.
Earley's story about Michael is gripping....as well as being instructional for people in a similar situation.
Pete Earley and his son Michael help raise money for mental illness
I'd highly recommend this book to people interested in mental illness and the justice system, and to people who have a mentally ill individual in their family.
Rating: 4.5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment