Crazy in America: The Hidden Tragedy of Our Criminalized Mentally Ill

by Mary Beth Pfeiffer

Crazy in America shows how people suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, clinical depression, and other serious psychological illnesses are regularly incarcerated because alternative care is not available. Once behind bars, they are frequently punished again for behavior that is psychotic, not criminal. A compelling and important examination of a shocking human rights abuse in our midst, Crazy in America is an indictment of a society that incarcerates its weakest and most vulnerable citizens -- causing them to emerge sicker and more damaged.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Social Justice, Mental Illness, Mental Health, Sociology, Politics

312 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2007

Reviews

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is such an important topic that I was disappointed by the examples chosen and style of writing. Several of the cases chosen seemed to be ambiguous situations of people who had early substance abuse, which often makes it nearly impossible to distinguish whether the behaviors are related to the substances or a primary mental illness. The author even seemed to, at times, defend the poor person's right to abuse a few substances and get incensed that the law would hold someone accountable for that.

Don't get me wrong, substance abuse is a prevalent co-morbidity in patient's with mental illness. I am a mental health professional and see it every day. This is a tragedy in its own right. But in trying to communicate how poorly our current system handles people who have erratic behaviors related to their severe mental illness, I find the argument would have been stronger if the author had chosen from the hundreds of thousands of people with severe mental illness suffering in our criminal "justice" system without the complicated factor of substance abuse.

I believe that deinstiutionalization was a concept with great intentions behind it and many have benefitted. Unfortunately, it was poorly planned and not applicable to all people with mental illness. Many patients, and now several generations worth, have suffered homelessness, lack of access to treatment, and lack of the structure needed to thrive. Many of these same people have gotten briefly or permanently placed in jails or prisons instead of in long-term hospitals focused on treatment. The story and the tragedy are there, but the book itself does not represent it as well as I would have wished. I am glad someone is trying to tell the story, but I think there are stronger ways to tell it.

[Marin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This devastating work of investigative reporting tells the story of a half dozen ordinary Americans with mental illness who suffered irreparable harm at the hands of a correctional system unable to cope with their needs. It was hard to get through, but surprising only in the extremity of the abuse and neglect it details, not in that they occurred.

[Joey Wachter · Rating 4 out of 5]

(My Thoughts): I thought that this book was pretty good. It had a lot of interesting science things in the book. Deals a lot with drugs, medicinces and all sorts of things like that. Overall I gave it a 4 star because it felt a little bit repetitive in the book. Overall it was fun to learn about the things the book was talking about though. If you are interested in medicines/drugs then I would read this book.

(Summary): This book didn't really have a main character there were probably 10 different characters, a different character for each chapter. But the book basically walks you through that persons life and tells you a little bit about them. Also most of the characters have a sort of mental illness or disease so you get to learn about that. I don't want to give too much away because it is fun to learn about while your reading it, and if I say 1 thing I might spoil it.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good companion to the (PBS) Frontline Documentary "The New Asylums." The author profiles six mentally ill inmates and their encounters with the criminal justice system. As is becoming increasingly clear, prisons are becoming the new holding centers for our nation's mentally ill - a job that the corrections system was not designed for (and, one could argue, SHOULD not be designed for).

The level of detail made the cases compelling, but I gave it only 4 stars because I sometimes tired of the author's accusatory tone: she heavily criticizes the actions of particular law enforcement personnel while at the same time pointing out that most of them received inadequate training to deal with the situations described. Though some corrections officers clearly deserve this assessment, I found myself thinking that in some cases their behavior seemed totally reasonable and predictable given their duties. For example: when being attacked on the street by some unknown man, was it really that surprising that an officer used deadly force to save herself? Unless she had known ahead of time that the man was mentally ill (and perhaps even if she had), who's to say she should have further risked her life by witholding force? To me, it wasn't surprising at all that internal reviews of the case found her actions to fall within "reasonable use of deadly force."

Certainly, our society needs to address the problems of our nation's mentally ill in some way other than just sending these individuals to prison where they spiral downward through the system. However, it's an awful lot to expect law enforcement personnel and corrections officers to become de facto mental health workers in the process. If mental health care and treatment were actually reasonably accessible within our society, law enforcement wouldn't be dealing with a lot of these difficult cases to begin with.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

Considering the promise of its topic and introduction, not to mention an ongoing need for good writing that deals with problems of modern prison systems, this book was a disappointment. The author presents a meager understanding of the purpose and structure of journalistic writing (corroborated by a short survey of her previous newspaper work), which only further defies the effectiveness of longer essays. Although the case studies she chooses to elaborate are indeed compelling, their descriptions betray deep misunderstandings of certain (admittedly flawed) complexities in both clinical psychology and police activity, and little is convincingly offered to show that these cases are representative of issues more widespread in the prison system. As a whole, the book and its sections are organized awkwardly and bogged down by characterization and stage-setting devices more appropriate to prose fiction (characters with -- in paraphrase -- "deep, piercing eyes," "a shock of glistening auburn hair," and similar affectations).

Although the dramatic presentation of the cases researched may succeed in eliciting a compassionate interest in those who know little of psychology or the prison system, readers already aware of the issues at hand and convinced that these problems are worth addressing may be better served by other texts.

[Nicki]

This book tells the stories of several young people who, when they were unable to get the right treatment for their mental illnesses, ended up going to jail or prison instead. The crimes they committed were usually direct results of their untreated mental illnesses, and when they were treated as criminals and incarcerated, their mental illnesses became even more unmanageable. Apparently this is pretty common, and it shows how otherwise regular, happy families can easily find themselves in a nightmare when a loved one with mental illness isn't able to get treatment.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written case study account of mental illness in modern prisons. After the move to close most of America's psychiatric hospitals, it turns out that the burden has just been transferred to the department of corrections. Case studies of 6 people with mental illness who were then "treated" by the criminal justice department. Spoiler alert (the author warns you early on): 5 of the 6 end up dead, the other one a victim of sickening self-mutilation. Sounds depressing (& it was) but interesting and generates awareness & ideas about how to make changes to the system.

[Kalin Rheanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains a raw perspective along with factual information that we as a society need to be educated with. Unfortunately, our systems in place are failing miserably with respect to psychiatric patients. Reform is necessary, and this book painstakingly highlights that. My only qualm with it is that sometimes the writing can be too dry, so I did admittedly skip through parts, but it can be quite gripping as well and I highly recommend it, especially for those in mental health, correctional, and legal fields.

[KaWoodtiereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an intense portrayal of our American custom to punish the mentally ill. The author gives us a glimpse into the lives of six unfortunate souls who battled mental illness, who crossed paths with the criminal justice system, and who lost their lives in solitary confinement. The book continually raised the questions, "Who are we?" and "What are we doing to protect some of our most vulnerable citizens?"

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Six case studies of adults with severe mental illness who were imprisoned, abused, denied medical treatment and usually killed by "the system." These stories are illuminating, meticulously researched and certainly an eye-opener. I have heard similar stories before but I was taken aback anyway. Everyone in Congress should read this book.

[Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells about how the mentally ill are not being handled correctly by our criminal justice system. Sad and poignant. A must read for anyone who is or knows someone with any mental illness issues.

[Zoe]

This book shows the horrible consequences of closing mental hospitals with no alternatives. Mentally ill people frequently end up in prison, with really horrible consequences. The book mostly consists of six case histories and is very readable - also extremely sad. Highly recommended.

[Mary]

This book is very well written; interesting and gripping, I have trouble putting it down. The stories within are tragic. Anyone with any common sense could see that something needs to be changed, and soon! But how . . .

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brings up some interesting issues and written with compassion. But feels more like sensationalized journalism than a review of social problems. Case studies get repetitive. Warning: graphic descriptions of self-mutilation.

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

UGH. It started out really good. For the most part, I really enjoyed all the stories. However, the last 15 pages dragged on so much that I couldn't even bare those last few, horrible pages. She just repeated herself over, and over, and over again. Interesting book, for the most part though.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a while ago, but it is so good! I really enjoyed the stories.. Seeing where the system didn't offer the support needed for the individuals and what consequences that had. Helps me remember to be fully present in my daily work.

[Amy Ruth Crevola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbing. and Important.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! If you have any interest in mental health at all READ THIS BOOK!

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in depth historical review of how mental illness is treated by US criminal justice system. I'm still reading this one but I highly recommend it to anyone with interest in this area.

[Kimberly Simpson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saddest most depressing book I ever couldn't finish.

[Betsy Reznicek · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read for those interested in the topics of incarceration or mental healthcare in America.

[Krystle · Rating 5 out of 5]

very insightful and disturbing at times. quick read.

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about mental health and the prison system.