Mental Illness Is No Crime

Luisa Medina

Bronx Community College

9/15/2017

“Mental Illness Is No Crime”

The article "Mental illness is no crime" written by Van Jones can give us a brief understanding of how the system can make those in need struggle through Certain Illness. A man named Paton Blough, residing in Greenville, South Carolina was arrested more than five times before he got the proper treatment for Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar disorder is associated with mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs (Mayo Clinic). Instead of getting help while in Jail he was thrown as a regular inmate for felonies he committed while this dark time of his life and which were related to his illness.

The system usually overrides cases like this kind in which the one who suffers the most are people with mental Illness.  I believe the system should provide these people with the proper care and treatments if necessary, because the outcomes can be worse. Getting the proper treatment means that they're able to live a fully life, by improving its quality. I feel that the system sometimes can be highly unfair with the ones that need the most care such as Paton Blough.

Work Cited

Newt Gingrich, Van Jones. “Mental Illness is no crime.” CNN, CNN, 27 May 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/27/opinions/gingrich-jones-mental-health/index.html?fb_action_ids=10155611659285357&fb_action_types=og.shares Web 27 May. 2015