Lecture 6: Mental Illness in the Canadian Criminal Justice System P2 Flashcards
What Happened When Psychiatric Hospitals Closed? (Deinstitutionalization) [2]
- Fewer hospital beds → More people with mental illness ended up in prison instead of getting treatment.
- Today, many prisoners have mental health issues because they couldn’t get help earlier.
What is Stigma? [1]
Negative attitudes or unfair treatment toward people with mental illness.
what is a myth and the reality about stigma? [2]
- Myth: People with mental illness are violent (this is false—most are not).
- Reality: They are more likely to be victims of violence than to commit it.
What is Media Stigma? [1]
Many news stories link mental illness with crime, which increases fear.
What is Public Stigma? [1]
People with mental illness face discrimination when trying to get jobs or housing.
What is Internalized Stigma? [1]
Some people with mental illness start to believe negative stereotypes, making them feel ashamed.
What is Structural Stigma? [1]
Unfair treatment by systems, like being put in solitary confinement more often.
Mental Illness & Police contact [4]
- Many can’t access mental health care, so police become the first point of contact.
- Police have a lot of power to decide whether to arrest or help someone.
- People with mental illness are more likely to be arrested or involved in police incidents.
- They are overrepresented in police shootings and use of stun guns.
What are Mobile Crisis Response Teams? [1]
Teams with police + mental health workers who respond to crises.
What are [3] goals of Mobile Crisis Response Teams?
- Divert people from prison & ER to community services.
- Reduce police resources spent on mental health calls.
- Improve safety for individuals and caregivers.
What are the [2] results of Mobile Response Teams?
- Fewer hospital visits.
- Better care and shorter wait times.
Does mental Illness lead to crime? [3]
- Most crimes are NOT caused by mental illness.
- Substance use plays a bigger role in crime than mental illness.
- Lack of early mental health care increases crime risk.
Mental Health Care in Prisons [3]
- Canada has 5 specialized mental health prisons, but not enough beds for everyone.
- Correctional programs focus on reducing risk to reoffend (violence prevention, substance use treatment).
- Medications & therapy help treat symptoms and reduce crime risk.
Solitary Confinement & Mental Illness [1]
People with mental illness are often put in solitary confinement (segregation).
Solitary Confinement & Mental Illness - [2] Negative Effects
- Worsens mental health.
- Many suicides happen in segregation cells.
What are SIUs? [2]
- Structured Intervention Units
- Special prison units in Canada meant to replace solitary confinement, giving inmates more time outside their cells and better mental health care.
Canada replaced solitary with SIUs, but… [3]
- Indigenous people are more likely to be placed in SIUs.
- Some are kept in SIUs for over a month.
- Many don’t get the minimum 4 hours outside their cell.
What is the goal of Mental Health Courts (Alternative to Jail) [1]
Divert people from jail to treatment.
How do Mental Health Courts work? [4]
- A judge monitors the person’s mental health treatment.
- The person must agree to get help.
- If they complete the program, charges may be dropped or reduced.
- If they don’t complete it, they could be expelled and sent back to jail.
what is a Mental Health Diversion Program? [1]
Programs that aim to divert individuals with mental health issues from the criminal justice system so they can receive assessments and treatment.
what are Offence-supportive Attitudes? [1]
Beliefs and attitudes that make it more likely a person will commit a criminal act.
