Private Prison Industry and Mental Health of Inmates

My view of criminal justice has changed completely. Before this course, I was under the impression that the criminal justice system might be flawed—but what system is perfect? Now I have a much better understanding of the nature of that system and the reasons it is not just imperfect but in major need of reform if not total re-development. The reason I say that is I have come to understood criminological theories that explain why crime happens, and mental health issues are a big part of the problem. It is almost to the point where crime has really become not a criminal justice problem but rather a mental health problem, as nearly half of all crimes are committed by people with a history of mental health issues (Evans Cuellar, McReynolds & Wasserman, 2006). Instead of getting the mental health treatment they need, these people become self-destructive, break laws because they have no real social bonds (i.e., social bond theory) or because their lives have been so utterly derailed that they cannot operate like law abiding citizens (i.e., life course theory), and so they end up convicted of crimes and incarcerated. Yet once they are in prison, they are treated like chattel slaves of corporations who pay pennies on the dollar for their labor (Pelaez, 2014). They are not rehabilitated. They do not receive mental health treatment.
That is a major problem. The criminal justice system is supported by for-profit private prisons that make money off incarceration. That to me sounds like a big conflict of interest, and it is apparent to many people that this is not how justice is supposed to operate. I never even realized that before, but now that I have understood the way big business has gotten involved in criminal justice I am disturbed that anyone should see this is fair and equitable. I would never have known this had it not been for this course, so I am thankful for that.
I expect to use this new understanding going forward by advocating for reform in the criminal justice system. The Prison Policy Initiative, for instance, is one organization I am looking at as a potential landing place if I continue on to get a law degree. I would like to continue my education in some way that would enable me to be a top-tier reform advocate. It is obvious to me that change is not going to happen unless a serious grassroots movement is developed, and I want to use my education to help develop that movement. This is something I believe needs to be done for the sake of the country and the culture. When profits are put before people, the values that should hold the fabric of this nation together are lost and washed away. The structures and systems in place are unfair and unhealthy. They do not address the root issues at the heart of almost half of all crime. Mental health problems are very real in this country—but our criminal justice system seems to turn a blind eye to them, and that is something that needs to change.
References
Evans Cuellar, A., McReynolds, L. S., & Wasserman, G. A. (2006). A cure for crime: Can mental health treatment diversion reduce crime among youth?. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management: The Journal of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, 25(1), 197-214.
Pelaez, V. (2014). The prison industry in the United States: big business or a new form of slavery?. Global Research, 31, 1-2.