NCJ Number
104006
Journal
Corrective and Social Psychiatry and Journal of Behavior Technology Methods and Therapy Volume: 32 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1986) Pages: 124-129
Date Published
1986
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Mentally retarded inmates pose a dilemma for corrections, especially if they are also mentally ill; they require services that will provide basic health maintenance.
Abstract
The deinstitutionalization of recent years has produced a large population of homeless people who are mentally retarded, mentally ill, or both. Law enforcement personnel have replaced clinicians as their primary contacts. Law enforcement personnel may regard the criminal justice system as more humane than the streets, but custody may worsen the behavioral and other problems of these individuals. In addition, trying to provide basic treatment can be extremely costly. However, the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Youngberg v. Romero mandates safeguards for the institutionalized mentally retarded. Treatment must rest on a current, comprehensive evaluation along with appropriate tests and diagnoses. These evaluations should be the basis for five possible types of treatment: medical and nursing, chemotherapy, behavioral management, counseling and education, and psychiatric/neurological. Descriptions of diagnostic classifications, common physical and behavioral characteristics of these clients, and 15 references.