Texas counties are not doing well in regards to caring for the mentally ill and the prisons being filled up as a result. According to the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online, the U.S. has one of the highest rates of jailing of developed nations and imprisons 2.2 million adults, including an increasing rate of mentally ill prisoners. It says that 50 percent will re-enter in three years upon release. Another article said that 55 percent of the males in prison and 73 percent of the females in prison were mentally ill in 2015 (The Atlantic). Also, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics in an article in 2006, it is suggested that mental illness has increased four times the amount since 1998, and since then the prisons continue to fill fast.

As simple and easy as it is to stamp papers for criminal activity, it is not always justified to throw someone in prison for an unintentional crime. While there are those like James Holmes who suffered a psychotic break before the Aurora Theater Shooting and have killed innocent civilians in a theater, committing serious crimes justified for life in jail, there are also those who struggle with schizophrenia, dementia and other mental illnesses who don’t understand that they are stealing, that running away from an officer is wrong or that walking onto someone’s property is trespassing. What Texas needs is more people who will test those suspected to be mentally ill. People who will provide help for them such as medication or therapy, who will save lives and prevent fast-filling prisons.

Imagine committing a felony just for trying to flee when a police officer is arresting you for a reason you don’t understand. This is the case with many who are mentally ill. This is a common case for those we encounter in our everyday lives who struggle with mental disorders. Dr. Karen Nelson, a psychologist who works with people convicted of criminal charges claiming to be mentally ill, said this was one of the most common crimes she has to deal with in the mental hospital where she works. The Bureau of Justice Statistics’ article (2006) said it was found that over half of all jail and prison inmates have mental health issues, meaning about 1.25 million were suffering from mental illness.

In considering those at stake in the prisons and working with the prisoners, Texas could use more help in establishing hospitals and care systems to prevent violence. Not doing anything to help the mentally ill results in the magnification of the idea that the mentally ill are violent and dangerous people. According to an article by the Harvard Health Department, the majority of mentally ill are not violent, they simply do not know what is going on and need clear communication.

The clear communication comes from family, friends, researchers and mental health hospitals that connect with the prisons to test those arrested claiming to be mentally ill for competency in court. Now some do intentionally commit a crime and fake mental illness to get out of prison and fines. To stop this, Texas has one hospital for the mentally ill that holds psychologists like Dr. Nelson to test the “criminals” for mental disorders and abilities to speak in court. This is how they filter out those who are faking mental illness. However, if they are mentally ill and are not able to participate in court without help, her job is also to train them and get them ready to speak about the crime.

The issue with this is that hers is the only hospital in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that does this kind of work. Dr. Nelson explained that people and the state don’t know how to categorize and promote her hospital and its interactions with the prisons.
While Allen is not as small of a society that we could always know who is mentally ill and who is not, it is still important that state authorities, police and us as citizens take this into account when we observe and investigate a crime. Our considerations of these things can prevent crime in the future, prevent the depressing fill of our prisons and potentially save lives.