Stigma In The Criminal Justice System

Structural stigma appears in interactions with institutional and social structures and these are “difficult to identify but perhaps the most devastating in impact on life chances” (Watson & Eack, 2007, p. 33). Structural stigma is implemented through the use of institutional and structural discrimination (Watson & Eack, 2007). Institutional discrimination consists of intended laws and legislation that restrict the rights and opportunities of people with mental illness; essentially, robbing individuals of civil rights to which they are entitled (Watson & Eack, 2007). Similarly, structural discrimination results from systemic factors such as politics and economics that limit opportunity, though unintentionally (Corrigan, 2014). It is this system-level stigma that prevents people most in need of mental health care from obtaining it.

Municipal stigmas arise when pervasive stereotypes that individuals with mental illness are dangerous or erratic. These stigmatized characteristic sets the barrier away from each other from the rest of society, bringing with it feelings of embarrassment and seclusion. This stigma in health causes unnecessary anguish, in theory causing a person to refute symptoms, delay treatment and refrain from daily doings.

There is unfortunate narrow-mindedness toward those with mental illness and the passing assumptions that they are unstable and unable to fulfill basic social roles. In the 1800's those with mental illnesses were treated as experiment numbers and not people. Although society has lessened their radical medical treatments toward the mentally ill, the stigma has continued to be passed on through the years.

Society has created tags or categorization for individuals with a mental illness, but this types of labeling can affect an individuals’ emotionally and socially. The stigmas that our society is generating towards mentally ill individuals is clearly discriminating them by developing hostile attitudes, perception and unequal opportunities for them. According to the author “Second, patients’ damaged the self-concept then triggers defensive behaviors aimed at warding of others’ rejection: concealing psychiatric treatment history, educating others about mental illness and withdrawing from social interaction” (Kroska, 2011). The effects of cultural stigma can disturb a person’s daily live by restricting them to fully engage in social interactions.

When someone seems to be different from us, it is possible to deal with him, negative because of stereotypes. Individuals, who have been negatively evaluated by society, are described as stigmatized. Stigma is a reality for people with mental illness and is one of the biggest obstacles for an integrated and satisfying life.

Stigma and other major problems can block access for participants in mental health-care services; when access is possible, attrition from treatment is another major issue (Olfson, Mojtabai, Sampson, Hwang, Druss, Wang & Kessler, 2009). Theories by Erving Goffman, Edward Jones and colleagues and the attribution theory, can each explain the ways in which stigma arises and is perpetuated in relation to the mental health population. On the whole, it can be seen that stigma is likely to discourage many individuals from seeking professional help for their condition, due to social stigma regarding mental illness in general. The first theoretical perspective to be considered is that of Goffman, who conducted significant research during the 1960s.

Mental illness is commonly seen as a social stigma. Actually, mental illness was “termed the ‘ultimate stigma’, because despite some positive, local impact from anti-stigma campaigns, it remains relatively resistant to change and worsens at times” (Nee 675). Erving Goffman, in his theory of social stigma, defines stigma as an attribute, behavior, or reputation which is socially discrediting in a particular way. Those with a mental illness choose to not seek treatment to avoid the label of mental illness that results when people are associated with mental health care. They also feel that when acknowledging their mental illness, they are diminishing their

26). Due to misconceptions, people with mental illness are put into one broad category even though there should be many due to the variety of mental illnesses (Corrigan et al., 2011, p. 56). In this category, those with mental disorders are subjected to the following stereotypes: fear and exclusion, authoritarianism, and benevolence (Davey, 2013; Corrigan et al., 2011, p. 27; Corrigan & Watson, 2002, p. 17). These stereotypes mean that people believe that the mentally ill are: dangerous and should be “treated with caution” or alienated from communities, “irresponsible”, or are “childlike” and shouldn’t be in control of their decisions (Corrigan et al., 2011, p. 27; Davey, 2013). Since “stereotypes make people easier to dismiss”, the mentally ill are more easily separated from society (Byrne, 2000, p.

However, studies found that the general public showed greater discrimination against mental illness than other health conditions (Rusch, Angermeyer, & Corrigan, 2005; Alonso et al., 2009). Most societies at the current time still retain negative attitudes towards psychopathology because they perceive the symptoms as threatening or uncomfortable. These attitudes frequently foster the manifestations of stigma and discrimination towards individuals with mental health problems. Stigma refers to the disapproval and shame felt by people with certain attributes that mark them differently from others. People with schizophrenia not only have to struggle with the symptoms of schizophrenia, but at the same time, they have to suffer the detrimental effects

In society, today, the mentally ill are stereotyped as a group of people who are incapable of performing actions in the same way that someone without a mental illness can. This leads to barriers for the mentally ill such as limited access to a proper education and not being able to apply for certain jobs. There is not a single solution that can completely eradicate stereotypes towards the mentally ill; however, the sooner the system is restructured to a point that treatment is seen as the real cure, the quicker society’s perspective of the

The rise of these programs only marks the beginning of the end of society’s current stigmatism. Today’s society shames those who are mentally ill while provoking them to come forth in a bizarre statement of contradiction. For example, some of the effects of stigma prevents a proper lifestyle, work situation and well-earned education. The public alienates those with stigma from normal society and demonizes them in the media. Whereas in the early areas, mental illness remained covered up for fear of a tarnished public image. People who misunderstood mental illnesses attributed the causes to the devil or witchcraft or other occult or religious reasons and those biased treatments for the mentally ill bordered on torture. Nevertheless, society has

Stigma faced by individuals with mental health may worsen their life experience. According to Corrigan (2007), "diagnostic classifications frequently used by clinical social workers may intensify this stigma by enhancing the public sense of groupness and differentness."

Goffman further describe stigma is “an attribute that is deeply discrediting” recognizing this leads the stigmatized person to be “reduced from a whole and usual person to a tainted or discounted one “Goffman (1963, pg. 12). Goffman’s Idea presents a direct linked between stigmas, attribute and stereotype, many of Goffman’s work centre around conceptualization and measurement of stigma. Link and Phelan (2001) have expanded stigma, specifically in relation to mental illness. Thus, stigmatization can pose significant barriers to both recovery from schizophrenia and full integration into the community Penn et al. , (1999).

The object of this paper is to shed light on the seriousness of mental illness and it is statistically affecting the United States. The history of how the mentally ill have been treated in this country will be discussed, followed by how we got to our current situation with a lack of treatment and an epidemic of mentally ill homeless people as well as, how the police are trained, or not trained and what can be done to improve upon it, and how our military funding has failed our veterans. Then the paper will take a look at how stigma has shaped how the public views mental illness, and how it shaped the writers young life.

behavior toward themselves or others, and nearly one-third of violent characters engaged in homicidal behavior” (Owen, 2012, p. 655). The same applies to the news where media stories “paint violent perpetrators as ‘mentally ill’ without providing the context of the broad spectrum of mental illness” (Friedman, 2014). Altogether, social stigma impacts both the community and those afflicted by mental illness. Social stigma takes away someone’s ability to ability to prove himself or herself and be successful because he or she is categorized (Corrigan et al., 2011, p. 56). Those with mental illness become “deprived of job and housing opportunities and must be supported by government assistance.”