Hi, guys. I'm not worried about facts here, rather grammar.
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Abstract
A
continuous fight for comfort is the struggle of life, and humans alone are in
the superior position. This, however, does not equate to superior comfort. The
choices we make ultimately predetermine our lives, and knowledge, singularly,
is the panacea of human afflictions. This paper will investigate the choices
made regarding American prison systems and demonstrate their conflicts with
knowledge in an effort to bring to light the injustice the mentally ill are
forced to suffer. The investigation will then continue and trace the
deleterious effect of these choices on society as a whole and explore how
society copes with these choices.
Predisposed
To Prison
Within the past century and a half humans have excelled rapidly. Many
pieces of life’s puzzle have been put in place and the human brain is the
vanguard of the movement. Neuroscience is a relatively new field of science
which is devoted to the study of the nervous system and has already unraveled
many age old questions. Psychology, the scientific study of behavior and mental
processes (Myer’s, p. 5) is another relatively new field of science. It is a
powerful tool that has enabled scientists to recognize different types of
mental illness and their reciprocal relation between nature and nurture. The
discovery of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) introduced genes to science and
through subsequent discoveries the functionality of genes are being mapped.
Despite all of these advancements in understanding, a large number of people
are imprisoned for being mentally ill.
Approximately
16% or nearly 500,000 people in U.S. jails and prisons are diagnosed with
mental illness (The new asylum, 2005) and require special attention. However,
many of the nation’s psychiatric hospitals are shut down leaving prisons as the
only viable option for the mentally ill. Most of these people have had no
control over their conditions. Many of them are the victims of severe trauma,
usually in their homes and especially in their childhood, while many others are
as guilty as receiving their genes from their parents. This injustice is most
obvious in the discriminatory handling of such individuals. It would sound
absurd to imprison a person with a developing illness resulting in a physical
disability, but this is exactly what is done to those who are mentally
afflicted.
Neuroscience
offers a necessary perspective into the erroneous logic of the prison. Neurons
are the constituents of the entire nervous system which is composed of the
central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
An individual neuron is a fairly simple cell which consists of a cell body,
dendrites, and the axon with its terminals. Although there are different types
of neurons, they all perform the same basic function. Dendrites extend from the
cell body and receive messages through the intake of neurotransmitters from
sensory receptors or other neurons. These messages are forwarded to the cell
body where the decision making takes place. At this point the cell will react
with an all or nothing response. If the cell is stimulated, it will release a
brief electrical charge called the “action potential”. This charge travels down
the neurons axon to the axon terminals and triggers the release of
neurotransmitters which will traverse a microscopic space called the synaptic
gap and bind to receptor sites on other neurons, glands, or muscles.
In
other words; the external world that is conveyed through the five senses is
nothing more than neurons sending and receiving neurotransmitters. All human
perceptions, thoughts, actions, and reactions are the result of an
extraordinary complex network of neurons; neurons are the captain of the ship
that every man is. The human brain comprises approximately one hundred billion
neurons. The development of the networks created within the brain is subject to
many external factors, however. This is where the reciprocal relation between
nature and nurture displays its force.
Among
many, experiments done on rats by Mark Rosenzweig and David Krech (Myer’s p.
79) clearly show a difference between rats in isolation and rats in a social
environment. The experiments performed demonstrate the importance of experience
for brain development. Neurons from the brain of a rat in isolation lack the
complexity that neurons of rats in a social environment possess. By simply
isolating a rat from other rats, its brain development is stunned and becomes
severely limited. So great is the significance of socialization for brain
development that there is an observable difference in brain mass. Rats in a communal
environment develop a heavier, thicker brain cortex. Also, there is a
noticeable difference in behavior. It is possible to distinguish an
impoverished rat from other rats by observing its activities and curiosity.
Mental
trauma on the other hand not only limits the development of the brain, but also
has the effect of causing “miswiring” of the brains networks. A mentally
traumatized person’s perception of the world is abnormally formed. Their
neurons are networked for survival in a traumatic environment. From a natural
point of view survival is most important and when nurture forces nature to
survive in extreme cases, extreme behaviors result. The problem becomes
apparent when the environment changes and the traumatized individual is
introduced to an environment which may not be as harsh to live in. This is
usually the case when the individual reaches adulthood and this is where the
real hardship just starts. In many cases children who are traumatized grow up
to be criminals. Once they are adults society holds them responsible for their
actions regardless of their past. They are then imprisoned and isolated. This
is an ignorant approach which does not provide a solution.
People who have been traumatized or were born with a genetic problem
resulting in mental illness are handicapped. They have very little or no
control over their own actions. Their neurons are not networked properly. They
do not have the same decision making power as the average man, and are
susceptible to harming themselves or others. In short, they do not live in the
same world as the rest of humans do.
Isolation has been the method of choice throughout history due to
ease of implementation and more importantly the lack of understanding of the
deleterious repercussions of this method. Isolation is not a remedy, rather the
contrary. Social deprivation has many known adverse effects on the human psych
and is another manner of traumatizing people. Weather behavioral problems among
the human species are genetic, nature, or nurture related or some combination
thereof, how these problems are dealt with should be the center of attention.
Almost all prisoners are released back into the public. When the mentally ill
are released into the public without proper help, they are bound to return to
the prison to endure more isolation before the whole process is repeated.
The big picture which often is not realized is even more troubling;
releasing mentally ill people who are unstable into the public leaves the
public exposed to the risk of trauma. Although adults are not as vulnerable as
children, trauma will still have its effect. For example, when a loved one is
killed by a person who has not received the necessary medication or help to
stabilize his or her condition, the loss is quite traumatic. Also, trauma has
an accumulative nature which effects society as a whole through social
interactions. Considering how destructive trauma can be to the human psych, by
observing its symptoms directly from the traumatized, a vivid picture of the
danger society is placed in is portrayed.
Conclusion
It is understanding that leads to the awareness that ignorance is not
bliss, rather a tragedy. The wellbeing of any person highly depends on the
environment that individual is in. Being mindful of others is a great way of
creating a better environment. Circulating the mentally ill among the public is
not conducive to the wellbeing of society. It is not possible to shield oneself
from the suffering of others nor is it possible to ignore it. Humans are
extremely social creatures, hence one mans suffering becomes every mans
suffering. It is important to consider how humans network and how these
networks connect people all around the world. Especially in this day and age,
with the help of technology, there is such great diversity. People are able to
move around more and everyone can somehow relate to everyone else.
It behooves every man for the sake of himself to look at those less fortunate
and advocate their wellbeing also. Today, many types of handicap are
acknowledged by society and much effort is expended in an effort to provide
them with comfort and care, but those who are mentally ill are still ignored
largely and current resolutions have predisposed them to prison. Investing on
psychiatric hospitals should be a priority of this nation presently.
Prisons are no substitute for psychiatric facilities and the care provided for
the mentally ill in prisons is not adequate. Over all, a change in the system
is needed and intelligent choices have to be made to accommodate these less
fortunate people.