Data Analysis and Results

The individuals involved in the data collection process are referred to as” contributors” for the purpose of remaining anonymous. Contributor 1 is a 32-year-old African American male officer. He has worked as a corrections officer at the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) facility in Chicago for over 7 years. He has also worked as a correctional officer at Stateville correctional center, a maximum security prison in Crest Hill, Illinois, for over 3 years. Contributor 2 is an African American female age 57. She has 15 years of experience in Corrections at IDOC.

Contributor 3 is a White male, age 40 years old. Contributor 3 has been at IDOC for 3 years as a correctional officer.

Various recurring themes were seen to be shared amongst the contributors during their semi-structured interviews. The recurring themes included limited employer based training, skepticism toward mental illness , and the need for more community based care. The interview process revealed these commonalities between the three officers in their experience or way of thinking. All of the contributors emphasized that their primary employer based training on mental illness was limited.

When asked to describe the employer provided training that was focused on prisoner psychiatric care they echoed similar experiences. According to each officer, they experienced limited training geared toward at the Illinois Department of Corrections. There was a lack of in-depth training that would aid in distinguishing symptoms of various mental conditions.

In contrast to other participants, contributor 1 expressed that he was satisfied with the training he had received at IDOC on mental health. He discussed that “IDOC made an effort to inform its staff”.

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According to his experience, on the hand Statesville prison offered no training focused on mentally illness. He expressed that they “learned on the job” how to handle inmates with mental conditions. According to him, he would look for a pattern of an inmate engaging in activities that would be deemed as unusual behavior and then inform the appropropriate healthcare staff on duty. Contributor 1 stated that: “ It becomes hard to figure out who needs help when people [prisoners] act crazy to get out of trouble. This makes corrections officers immediately skeptical of other prisoners who may have a real mental illness. That’s generally how we see it because too many of them try to trick us”. He hopes that the state will continue to build facilities similar to the Joliet and Elgin mental treatment centers that will relieve corrections officers of having to oversee mentally ill prisoners.

Skepticism toward mental illness was the second major theme in the data analysis results. Similar to contributor 1, all of the participants recounted having an experience or multiple experiences where they were skeptical that an inmate was in fact mentally ill. Contrtrutor 2 recounted that the longer she worked in corrections the more her skepticism grew. Keeping your “guard up” became privitol for her and the other participants. For institutional safety correctional staff must view inmates as potential security threats. This is in contrast to health care providers “ who seek to develop a therapeutic alliance. Inmates are seen as clients or patients, not just criminals”.

Contributor 2 mentioned that from her experience she saw that many people with serious mental illness often do not realize when their behavior is abnormal or when they are experiencing some sort of episode. The condition that she had described is called anosognosia, also called ‘lack of insight’. The symptom hinders an individual’s ability to understand and perceive his or her illness (TAC, 2016). The condition is often seen in bipolar or schizophrenia diagnosed individuals. Although anosognosia is an indicator of serious mental illness, those with major psychiatric conditions can maintain interoceptive awareness.

The final major theme was the desire to receive more community based treatment for mentally ill rather than incarceration. Contributor 2 expressed that the constant reliance on corrections officers to look after inmates with psychiatric issues can be a “burden”, adding an extra obstacle to a job that is difficult. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has noted that individuals who have schizophrenia or mental retardation commit more rule infractions, therefore increasing their punishments (Appelbaum, 2001). It is also noted that “Dysfunctional behavior by inmates who have mental disorders not only impairs the ability of officers and administrators to operate safe and orderly facilities but also results in stress for correctional employees at all levels”