Criminal law. Solitary Confinement and Mental Health in the U.S (Essay Sample)

Question
Subject: Criminal Law
Topic: Solitary confinement and mental health
Solitary Confinement and Mental Health
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Solitary Confinement and Mental Health in the U.S
Solitary confinement refers to the social and physical isolation of a person in one cell for hours, days, and spending other time in a cage or a barren yard. The prisoners in extreme isolation are approximated to 45000 individuals(Nyclu.org, 2012). The United States of America (USA) has a huge number of people confined in their prison department. The population of people in prison is estimated to be 25 percent. The high percentage means for every 100,000 individuals, 754 are inmates. But, generally, most western countries have recorded an upsurge in the level of incarceration. The reason for the increased level of imprisonment in the USA is its minimal expenditure on social welfare programs. Secondly, the country experiences a high crime rate. Other factors that contribute to the high rate of incarceration are a significant number of single parenthood individuals and a high percentage of divorce rates (Weiss, & MacKenzie, 2010).
There is a significant difference in the rate of incarceration between the USA and the Netherlands. The difference is brought about by variety in sentencing policies and correctional strategies put in place by these countries. Secondly, what is considered a crime or classification of unlawful acts and an offense differ in different countries, some countries like the Netherlands do not include specific populations when subjecting them to incarceration, for instance, immigrants held in detention, mentally challenged offenders, juveniles, and detainees. While in the USA, incarcerated people include offenders located in privately operated facilities, state or federal prisons, and local jails. But, prisoners found in juvenile facilities and military immigration are not factored in. A significant portion of populations incarcerated is composed of mentally ill individuals; how these people are treated differ from one country to another (Subramanian & Shames, 2014). Here, we are focusing on discussing solitary confinement and mental health in the USA and Netherlands. Moreover, we are looking at the effects of solitary confinement on psychiatric patients, and ways of reducing crime rate and incarceration in the U.S.