Living in the Shadows
- Ricardo Baca Mares, JD, MBA
- Sep 15, 2019
- 3 min read
In reviewing the hundreds of cases that I do, there seems to be a common denominator that can't be ignore. Almost every case exhibits some form of mental illness or addiction. In many cases, this consists of individuals self-medicating with drugs or alcohol and not even knowing that they suffer from any type of illness. So this begs the question, do these individuals need treatment or punishment for their wrongdoings?
At a time when mass incarceration and mental illness are center stage issues in the political debates, I feel we need to continue to bring light to the statistics that govern such topic. When calculating the individuals who suffer from mental illness, Harris County Jail is the largest mental health institution in the state, with the Dallas County Jail as the second largest. Texas jails and prisons are basically mental health facilities and while individuals may have broken the law, should non-violent transgressors be provided with treatment rather continued punishment?
I sit on various support groups as well as non-profit boards and I am astonished by the continued lack of empathy stemmed from nothing else but ignorance on mental illness. What people don't understand is how prevalent mental illness is in society and they are in denial that it exists in their own home or even themselves. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, over 25% of the population live with a mental illness and just 41 percent of adults in the U.S. with a mental health condition received treatment in the past year. Among adults with a "serious mental illness" such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, that number rose to 62.9 percent — so more than a third suffer without treatment. When will people understand that having a mental illness is no different than having diabetes. There is no cure for mental illness. Once diagnosed, it will require lifelong treatment and medication.
Unfortunately, the issue always comes back to the stigma. I have been told repeatedly by professionals and former colleagues of mine that they rather hire or be associated with someone with a criminal record than someone with a mental illness. And then you wonder why people with mental illness live in the shadows.
I was once told by a mental health expert that people with untreated mental illness end up in one of two places, jail or an early casket. My experience and education have only confirmed this. So what are we going to do about it? Texas lawmakers have unveiled a $300 million plan to revamp the state's aging psychiatric hospitals and add some 300 psychiatric beds. 300 beds. Did I mention that Texas State Prisons currently house over 140,000 individuals?
I have always been a fan of being proactive rather than reactive and that is why I dedicate my time and efforts to what I do. We, as a society, must be proactive on this issue and it starts with being able to have a dialogue about mental illness. In our homes, our offices, our parishes, our schools, and so forth. Despite everything I have gone through, life has made me callous in so many ways. But one issue that breaks me down every time is mental health awareness as it pertains to children. No one asked to suffer from a mental illness, especially not children. Every time we mock it on television, in the gym, on the field, or even among candid conversations with each other, know that kids ARE listening.
So as I read all of these files of men and women in prison, I always ask myself the same questions. What were they like as kids? Who failed them? What if they had been properly diagnosed early in their lives and received the treatment, medication, and support they needed? What if they had been embraced and given a platform to share their problems and never felt like they had to live in the shadows?
Maybe then. and only then, their file wouldn't be on my desk.
Post Incarceration Syndrome Unless we have been in prison ourselves, it’s difficult to understand exactly what inmates go through both during and after their time behind bars. When someone is in prison, they get used to the conditions, as harmful and abusive as they may sometimes be. The conditions may begin to wear on an individual, leaving them feeling like they have nowhere to turn. If someone experiences these struggles during or after their prison sentence, they may have a disorder called Post Incarceration Syndrome, or PICS. What Is Post Incarceration Syndrome? Post Incarceration Syndrome is a mental disorder that affects people who are currently incarcerated or were released from prison recently. All individuals who have been in prison are at risk for…
Most inmates serving lengthy sentences also suffer from PTSD, however, when they are incarcerated they never get treated or diagnosed. When they are released they are left to deal with this medical condition. We the families, public are left with menatally unfit, injured people released that have been subjected to in some cases more criminal harm than they were being punished for. Some are mentally imblanced and out of prison incapable of making logical mental decisions with no diagnosis or medical care. It's wrong and it seems that mental healthcare should extend to Prisons to prepare them for their mental health as well. One day when they release they need to be whole mentally and physically!
Awesome article. My daughter suffered a brain injury in college her freshman year. Her cerebellum swelled. She had to learn to walk and talk again. Her personality changed from the brain injury. Now she is incarcerated. Her fourth flat year and TDCJ just did her mental eval. She is on disability when she is home. As a parent...I'm doing this sentence with her and hoping no one takes advantage of her.
Great article. Mental Health is by far more important than people seem to realize .