Perceived Effectiveness of Mental Health Rehabilitation on Recidivism
Location
Room 217, Schewel Hall
Access Type
Open Access
Entry Number
117
Start Date
4-5-2023 9:45 AM
End Date
4-5-2023 10:00 AM
College
Lynchburg College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Psychology
Abstract
As the American criminal justice system moves towards rehabilitation over punishment it is important to see if rehabilitation of mental illness actually reduces recidivism rates on a large scale. As established by previous research Gonzalez & Connell, 2014; see also, Osher, et al, 2003), people with mental health issues are notoriously ignored or not provided the proper treatment during incarceration and it is necessary to examine this connection so new policies can be implemented to help incarcerated Americans. By reducing recidivism the amount of people incarcerated is lowered, because most people incarcerated are repeat offenders (Bureau of Justice Statistics), saving America millions of dollars most of which come from American taxpayers. However, in order to enact the changes needed in the incarceration system we will need the support of the American people. The aim of this study is to measure how willing people are to work with, socialize, and all around interact with treated offenders versus untreated offenders.It was hypothesized that people will be more willing to associate with individuals who received treatment and that individuals who received treatment will have a perceived more successful reentry to society. Participants were recruited using an online survey where they were randomly assigned to one of three different groups. A statistically significant difference was found between those who did receive treatment or did not have a mental illness at all and those who received no treatment, supporting the hypothesis that Americans are more willing to associate with treated offenders than not.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Alisha Marciano Dr. Joseph Hoft Dr. Laura Kicklighter
Rights Statement
The right to download or print any portion of this material is granted by the copyright owner only for personal or educational use. The author/creator retains all proprietary rights, including copyright ownership. Any editing, other reproduction or other use of this material by any means requires the express written permission of the copyright owner. Except as provided above, or for any other use that is allowed by fair use (Title 17, §107 U.S.C.), you may not reproduce, republish, post, transmit or distribute any material from this web site in any physical or digital form without the permission of the copyright owner of the material.
Perceived Effectiveness of Mental Health Rehabilitation on Recidivism
Room 217, Schewel Hall
As the American criminal justice system moves towards rehabilitation over punishment it is important to see if rehabilitation of mental illness actually reduces recidivism rates on a large scale. As established by previous research Gonzalez & Connell, 2014; see also, Osher, et al, 2003), people with mental health issues are notoriously ignored or not provided the proper treatment during incarceration and it is necessary to examine this connection so new policies can be implemented to help incarcerated Americans. By reducing recidivism the amount of people incarcerated is lowered, because most people incarcerated are repeat offenders (Bureau of Justice Statistics), saving America millions of dollars most of which come from American taxpayers. However, in order to enact the changes needed in the incarceration system we will need the support of the American people. The aim of this study is to measure how willing people are to work with, socialize, and all around interact with treated offenders versus untreated offenders.It was hypothesized that people will be more willing to associate with individuals who received treatment and that individuals who received treatment will have a perceived more successful reentry to society. Participants were recruited using an online survey where they were randomly assigned to one of three different groups. A statistically significant difference was found between those who did receive treatment or did not have a mental illness at all and those who received no treatment, supporting the hypothesis that Americans are more willing to associate with treated offenders than not.