Question

For the mentally ill, homelessness and risks of incarceration are highly interrelated. Discuss reasons for this interrelationship and some implications for communities in which the mentally ill persons reside.

Answer 1

Mental illness

Mental illness is the imbalance between individual and the surrounding world. It is the clinically significant conditions, in which the person may have abnormalities in thinking, emotions and behaviour.

Interrelationship between homelessness and incarceration of mentally ill people :

Incarceration means ' the state of Being confined or imprisonment'. There is a positive association between Homelessness and incraceration. There are various reasons that may contribute this interrelationship. Homelessness may leads to decreased physical and mental health. They may become addicted to different substance abuse, idle. Homelessness can cause the lose of an orderly manner of life of the persons. In turn it leads to the development of criminality in them and they may indulge in robbery and other anti social activities.

Many studies showed that half of the arrested and confined people are homeless and they have a past psychiatric history. Homeless people, if they have a mental disorder , are more likely to involve in criminal activities. Along with hostility and agitation, positive psychiatric symptoms like hallucinations, delusions( unusual thoghts / false unshakeable belief) and negative symptoms like apathy, emotional withdrawal and decreased psychomotor activity may increase criminal behaviour , resulting in imprisonment.

Implications for communities

Social workers, who works in Community Mental health center can work for mentally ill prisoners. He can visit them in the jail and also provide , coordinate services for them after their release. Government can ensure houses for all those who are homeless, and mental health services at the basic level. Along with that addiction servìces for substance abuse also can provide in the community.