Proposal (Subject-Mental Health and Criminal Justice) Research Paper

Proposal (Subject-Mental Health and Criminal Justice) - Research Paper Example Here, we develop a proposal on behalf of a community mental health support group. This proposal is developed using empirical evidence from previous methods. Issues of public safety and ethics are paramount. As such, we analyze the process of law enforcement as applied to the mentally ill, and in so doing, we delineate strengths and weaknesses of traditional methods of dealing with these problems. Our population of interest is those who have not responded well to conventional clinical-legal methods. These are the people who have been traditionally called lost causes or incorrigibles. Our proposal builds upon previously successful models as a consolidated inter-disciplinary method. Briefly, our proposal is one of laissez faire. Forced participation in mental health and substance abuse programs are most often not appropriate especially for people who have the ability to independently improve their own lives (Chandler et. al., 2004). Ultimately, it is a profoundly human endeavor to help others live down their own shortcomings. This is a certainty upon which any method should operate. Although their presence is becoming much more significant, offenders with mental illnesses are still some of the most disenfranchised groups in society. Here, we propose improved methods of dealing with this population in a criminal justice setting. As such, we present the background and rationale for our proposal as well as its details and predicted outcomes. As we explore relevant information with respect to mental health and criminal justice, we are faced with certain questions. Do we include alcohol and drug abuse as a mental illness? How much is the system itself responsible for aggravating mental illnesses in the population? Does punishment (particularly confinement and isolation) make matters worse or maybe even create a lasting state