tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107037609455779557.post3276920314381761425..comments2024-02-28T05:56:28.293-08:00Comments on California Correctional Crisis: Inmate Employment and Mass ReleasesHadar Aviramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200780666976305749noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107037609455779557.post-81736873506146964042009-06-06T21:01:25.642-07:002009-06-06T21:01:25.642-07:00There is a continuum of mental health, how symptom...There is a continuum of mental health, how symptomatic a mentally ill individual is, or how well the inmate might be managing with symptoms. <br /><br />But this issue is not so much about clinical assessment. Rather, it is that the units for the seriously mentally ill (called EOP) are considered by the correctional officers (and also by some in mental health administration) to be "soft"-and if the inmate is presenting as too mentally ill to be in general population - then they (correctional officers) believe that they cannot have some of the rights/privileges. Because in their mind, if an inmate is in EOP, they should be so mentally ill that they cannot work. And if they can work, then they are considered to not really be mentally ill, or not as mentally ill to be in the EOP unit.Prison Cliniciannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107037609455779557.post-76073773273487269442009-06-05T20:09:52.747-07:002009-06-05T20:09:52.747-07:00Thanks for educating us about this. Surely there m...Thanks for educating us about this. Surely there must be a continuum of mental well-being, so it's not a binary category.Hadar Aviramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15200780666976305749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107037609455779557.post-68428923806533799432009-06-05T18:46:34.641-07:002009-06-05T18:46:34.641-07:00If I can take this on a tangent on employment in g...If I can take this on a tangent on employment in general within prisons, and mentally ill inmates:<br /><br />There is considerable employment of inmates within the prisons, and without their work - the cost of running the prisons would be much higher. <br /><br />Work as therapy for those with mental illness is well known, and researched. <br /><br />Yet, in general, CDCR's attitude towards work by those living in housing for the seriously mentally ill is that they cannot work by definition. This is a CDCR informal, custody definition - unchallenged by CDCR mental health administration. <br /><br />AS such, if a seriously mentally ill individual wants to work, they have to be willing to return to the general population - where they often cannot cope with the environment - and quickly return because of decompensation, or increased suicidal thoughts/behaviors. <br /><br />Fact is that many of the seriously mentally ill individuals can work, provided they are given mental health support, and structure. <br /><br />(There is a similar issue with regards to education, where many of the educational opportunities are not open to those with living in housing for seriously mentally ill. And to get those educational opportunities, they have to agree to return to general population.). <br /><br />These are basically outdated notions in mental health - assumptions that the mentally ill cannot work, cannot get an education etc. Unfortunately, CDCR's mental health administrators have not been willing to address these issues.Prison Cliniciannoreply@blogger.com