Marginalization and Criminalization of People with Mental Illness

It is worth noting that people with a mental illness or disorder have a stigma around them that dictates how others treat them. With this stigma comes discrimination stemming from an already established opinion and experience with a person who has a mental illness. People who have a mental illness that affects their life are marginalized within our society, which means they get treated differently than the majority. This essay will serve as a discussion of the treatment history of mental disorders, forced institutionalization of the people, the impact deinstitutionalization had, and how this led to today’s problem of criminalization. Once criminalization took hold of those with a mental illness, they spend a long time in jail and do not get the treatment that they need and deserve. There are many possible solutions to help this issue, such as community centers for treatment, detailed first responder training, and a reform program