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Tamyia King
Final Research Proposal
Dr. McDowell-Smith
December 4, 2015

Intro
Looking at the Criminal Justice System as a whole gives researchers many opinions
about what is being studied. There is a significant amount of research that has been conducted:
yet some needs additional research like corrections. I chose this topic not only because I want to
go into this field but it is also a huge part of the Criminal Justice System. The corrections side of
the house seems like the last resort. It might take a while for an inmate to be sentenced to a
correctional facility, and there are a lot of humans involved besides inmates and correctional
offices. Judges and juries play huge roles, and police have the initial role in the entire process.
The correctional system is worth studying because it doesnt only affect inmates, but it also
affects people that work there on an everyday basis and even people who arent prison but pay
taxes.
Getting deeper into our assignment, our specific topic of study is based on a certain type
of inmate. We thought it would be interesting to study mentally ill people that incarcerated with
other humans that are normal. I specifically think there is a need for more research to be done
on mentally ill inmates, current researchers dont go into much depth on how they affect others
and how the prison is worked while including them in the everyday life. Why should they be put
under the same roof instead of being put in a prison that only focuses on mentally ill patients and
being rehabilitated? Its a huge problem that might not ever be addressed because of many
reasons. Money would be the number one reason. It does take a lot of money to build other
prisons and programs, but I wouldnt doubt its something the country as whole couldnt do. It
would benefit our systems today because it would keep people in less danger. Mentally ill
inmates can also be a big harm to others and even themselves. There have been studies shown

and documentaries written on how mentally ill inmates negatively affect a prison, but there isnt
much on how things can change for the better.
Studying this certain topic can be difficult because the huge range of data and research
out there, but its an interesting topic that not many people focus too close on. Mental Health is
something that affects the Criminal Justice System every day, along with our society. I think its
important that we find a way to deal with it in and out of a correctional institution. Most of the
time, patients dont have a positive effect on themselves or the people surrounding them.
Doing further research, I came up with a question that I thought would give me an answer
about mentally ill inmates; What are the implications of mentally ill prisoners in a correctional
institution rather than a medical facility? Based off that question I created a literature review
that would pour out more information on this specific subject. There was a lot that was found and
I think this will give readers a huge insight on how mentally ill inmates are dealt with in the
prison systems.
Literature Review
Introduction
Mentally ill inmates seem to be a very controversial subject. I will conduct a research
proposal based on a specific research question that I think can give much more information about
mentally ill inmates. My research question states: What are the implications of mentally ill
prisoners in a correctional institution rather than a medical facility? Ive conducted research and
the eight given articles talk uniquely about the effects that mentally ill prisoners have on prisons.
The availability of articles on this specific subject were a bit difficult to find. The research
proportion was the hardest part. It was important that I found scholarly articles on mentally ill

inmates. A mental illness is any of the various forms of psychosis or severe neurosis. An inmate
is any person that is confined in a prison. Putting these two definitions together, I came up with
researching the effects that mentally ill inmates have on prisons as a whole.
Historical Articles
Pamela Diamond, (2001) conducted research based on prevalence of mental illness in
prisons. The article discussed how mentally ill prisoners were dealt with in the early 2000s.
These researchers found that during time frame, courts were requiring that prisons conducted
mental health screenings and care for those who came in with mental health issues. These
screenings consisted of small evaluations of a persons characteristics traits. Many investigations
and research has been done as to how mentally ill prisoners should be taken care of when in
custody, but ultimately, that should be the job of a prison in the first place?
Can recidivism play a factor as to why there are mentally in patients in correctional
facilities? David Lovell, Gregg Gagliardi and Paul Peterson (2002), determined that after being
released from prison, recidivism rates decrease in mentally ill offenders, mainly with the bigger
felonies because there is always room for recidivism. These studies showed that most mentally ill
prisoners learn a lesson or treatment and medications had a positive effect on them while in
prison.
Challenges and Rewards
Correctional officers and the institution as a whole deals with many pros and cons in
having mentally ill patients. Simpson (2012) discussed how inmates are dealt with when in
prison. There are psychiatrists that come in on a daily basis and help with these certain inmates,
but one of the cons about working in a prison is that the psychiatrists dont have the last say
because the inmates are a part of that correctional facility. Joseph Simpson (2012) wrote how

inmates must always abide by the rules even if they have medical conditions. Unfortunately,
inmates that are mentally ill do not receive a special kind of treatment from prison officials.
There is a way that mental ill prisoners can affect the institution whether it be good or
bad. Psychiatrists know what theyre doing when it comes to dealing with these certain types of
people, so it doesnt put a burden on officers or officials when its time to deal with them. This
might be a benefit of a doctor of psychiatrist because theyre working to help these individuals
instead of focusing on punishing them immediately.
Solitary Confinement
Solitary confinement is defined as the confinement of a prisoner in a cell or other place in
which he or she is completely isolated from others. We all know that most of the time when a
prisoner is sent to solitary confinement its because theyre in more trouble or maybe for their
own safety. What happens when you put a mentally ill prisoner in solitary confinement? Do they
calm down or does it make their illness worse? Jeffrey Metzner (2010). Recognized that solitary
has mostly a negative impact on mental ill prisoners. Solitary can generally cause stress or make
problems worse because of being alone all the time. When thought through, a mentally ill person
needs care and possibly needs to keep busy, if not, situations can become dangerous for
surrounding persons or for that specific individual. Metzner explains the emotional and
psychological impact that solitary confinement can put on a mentally ill prisoner.
Should mentally ill prisoners be put into solitary confinement at all? Can this decision
make a huge impact on the prison as a whole or should they just be put in the normal crowd
with a lot of treatment? These are some questions that come to mind when trying to figure out
the best thing to do with mentally ill inmates.

Reforming
Finding specific ways to reform the way mentally ill inmates are treated and handled in
prison can change things drastically for prisons. Specifically stated in the article Reforms for
Mentally Ill Inmates a policy was formed saying, The State of California's Corrections
Department will end its policy of isolating mentally ill inmates for up to 23 hours a day and
instead move them into specialized housing, where they will receive more humane treatment.
Jim McDermott (2014). This also ties into what solitary confinement does to inmates, but this
house of corrections wanted to change things to make the mentally ill inmate feel as normal as
possible. This can easily tie into how many other correctional institutions can go about reforming
their systems. Surely, this decision that the State of California used will change the way inmates
act during the day. Instead of throwing them into solitary confinement, it would be nice to try
and change their schedules so things arent worsened throughout the prison.

Conclusion
In the conclusion of my literature review, there are many things that corrections have to
deal with when they have mentally ill inmates. As seen, there isnt a way that we can get rid of
them but there are some ways officials can make things easier. There will always be negative
sides to taking care of people that arent as normal than others, but the Criminal Justice System
can cut back on solitary confinement as a solution. This way actually hurts the inmates
emotionally which results in different outcomes. A great way to reform prisons might be to take
them out of confinement for twenty three hours of the day and find something that might relax
them besides just giving them their meds.

Next, I would try to figure out how I would collect data. As a part of my research
proposal it is essential that I provide the research method that I will conduct on sample
population.
Situational Analysis
My actual sample population would be that of correctional officers, medical staff,
administration and maybe other inmates in the institution. My second would be a medical facility
and workers within the facility. I will make these two my target samples because these are the
people that will be affected based on the research I have found. I will limit this population to
only the ones that come in contact with mentally ill inmates on a daily basis.
I will conduct my research by both interviewing these specific individuals, while maybe
handing out surveys to the same people to see if things might change on paper. I will ask
questions regarding their personal experiences and how mentally ill inmates effect each facility
in either a positive or negative manner.
My independent variables would be the same as the sample population, such as the
correctional officers, medical staff, administration and other inmates, because they are the ones
that are changing. The correctional officials and medical officials will give me different
information to put down about my dependent variables which are the mentally ill inmates. All of
my data that I am collecting will depend on the effects of the mentally ill prisoners.
As a part of my data collection process, I would ask specific questions that I think would
give me more information that I need based on my research question. Below I will list a few
examples on questions that I will ask each group.

Correctional Officers: What is the hardest part about dealing with mentally ill inmates?
Do you think that placing mentally ill inmates in solitary confinement makes causes worse of
better? What would you like to see changed within your correctional institution with mentally ill
inmate?
Medical Staff: How do you deal with mentally ill inmates? Is the job different in prison
than you would say it is in the regular community? Do you think trying to reform them is better
than placing them in solitary confinement? What would you like to see changed within the
correctional institution when dealing with mentally ill inmate?
Administration: How often do you come in contact with mentally ill inmates? What do
you think is the proper way to handle them to keep your institution safe? Would you rather see a
mentally ill person in your correctional facility or in a medical institution, even if theyre
criminal?
Inmates: How exactly do you deal with inmates that surround you with medical
conditions? Do you feel safe being in the same facility as a mentally ill criminal?
These specific questions would give researchers a better understanding on some of the
main issues with mentally ill inmates. Surveys can be outsiders that maybe come to visit
mentally ill relatives, or maybe volunteers that work within some places. Data collection can
vary, but I think these two specific collections can enlighten many on experiences they have.
Opinion
In the end, it can be helpful to give your opinion. Personally, I have mixed emotions
about mentally ill inmates. I understand that if youre a criminal you should be treated like
everyone else and be sent away for the crime you committed, but its tough working with

mentally ill inmates. They definitely shouldnt be mixed in with the general population, but they
also shouldnt be sent to solitary confinement for so long. I think solitary confinement can make
someone go insane or it can make their conditions worse. There should be a specific area in all
prisons designated for the rehabilitation of mentally ill inmates. If these certain criminals were
just left on the street, many lives could be put in danger.
Final Conclusion
I want to be a correctional officer, and while doing this research I noticed there isnt a
way that we can get rid of people who are mentally ill. Researches have shown me that there are
many negative outcomes to having them in correctional facilities. Its important that staff and
administration keep everyone safe while trying to rehabilitate these individuals. Its a tough
subject to do research on but there is always more that can be done!