Violence in Texas Prisons Tied to Mental Illness

Conclusions of a longitudinal study found that the most violent Texas prisons also house the highest percentage of mentally ill prisoners. The study conducted by the Texas Tribune from 2006 to 2012 collected data from 99 Texas lockups. Among the five units with the highest rates of violence are three psychiatric units.

The William P. Clements Unit imprisons 1,800 mentally ill prisoners yet is not considered a mental health farm. It is, however, one of the most violent units in Texas. The six-year study revealed that guards were involved in over 6,500 violent incidents between 2006 and 2012. During the same period, guards were involved in an incident with "major use of force" over 3,400 times. A major use of force occurs when a guard forces a prisoner to act against his will.

Clements guards used chemical agents to subdue prisoners over 1,500 times. Weapons were found in over 411 of those incidents and there were 264 recorded occurrences of prisoners throwing bodily fluids. In total, the Clements unit had an incident rate of more than 25 reports per 100 prisoners annually.

Records indicate that the most violent prison in Texas is the John Montford Psychiatric Unit in Lubbock. The Monford unit is one third the size of the Clements unit yet, over the same six year period, it had over 1,500 major uses of force and a violence rate of 43 incidents per 100 prisoners.

The Beauford H. Jester IV Unit, near Richmond, had a violence rate of 41 incidents per 100 over the same time period. The Jester IV Unit houses some of the most violent mentally ill prisoners in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) system. The average violent incident rate in all Texas prisons is 8 per 100.

Michele Deitch, prison conditions expert at Lyndon B. Johnson School of public affairs located at the University of Texas at Austin, called the results of the study "overwhelming."

"You can't ignore those numbers," she said. "Something is happening that's causing inmates to act out in quite serious and dangerous ways, and staff do not have that situation under control."

One solution suggested by Scott Medlock, is to spread mentally ill prisoners throughout the system instead of concentrating them together on the same facility.

"Those people are entitled to accommodations that will help integrate them into the prison system and keep them safe," he said. Mr. Medlock is the director of the prisoners' rights program for the Texas Civil Rights Project.

Not surprisingly, Barry Martin, senior warden at the Clements unit disagrees with the assessment of his unit.

"I think we do a very good job of taking care of what we do here," Martin said. According to Martin and other unit officials the study does not reflect the numerous times that guards' intervention prevent violence. Neither does the study show the success of intensive mental health programs available on the unit.

Texas Tech University Health Science Center facilitates a program for Aggressive Mentally ill prisoners. Participation is voluntary and includes a combination of drugs and therapy. About 175 are currently enrolled and will receive a certificate upon completion. Successful completion also enhances their chances for parole.

"It makes life easier for them and for us," said Martin. He also points out that guards receive two and a half weeks training in how to deal with mentally ill prisoners.

Martin also insists that the mentally ill are not the most violent prisoners on the unit. He says that his G-5, highest security risk, prisoners currently occupy 435 of his 448 solitary confinement cells.

Major Michael Gruver, who is in charge of the solitary confinement wing says that dealing with mentally ill prisoners is a "challenge" but insists that those challenges are "not insurmountable."

"That's the biggest job," said Martin, "protecting them from one another and, here, from themselves.

Texas prisons are mirroring a nationwide trend that indicates a sharp increase in the number of incarcerated mentally ill residents during the upcoming years. The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) provides the majority of medical care for Texas prisons. While the number of Texas prisoners has remained relatively static for the last decade, at about 150,000, the UTMB has seen a jump in mentally ill patients from about 14,500 in August 2008 to almost 17,900 in August 2012.

A report by the National Alliance on Mental Illness indicates that between 2009 and 2011 states cut their mental health budgets by more than $1.8 billion. The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors puts the dollar amount closer to $4.35 billion. If the trend continues as it has for the past few decades, less beds in mental health facilities will create the need for more prison beds. Since the 1970s the increase in the U.S. prison population can be directly linked to the decrease in medical assistance available to mentally ill citizens. When patients cannot get the drugs and counseling they need, it increases their chances of running afoul of the law.

The largest budget cuts were seen in Alaska at 35 percent. Arizona and South Carolina saw a 23 percent budget cut. Washington, D.C., Nevada, Kansas, and California all cut their mental health budgets by at least 15 percent. While Texas did not make the top ten in budget cuts, it still holds the distinction of imprisoning more mentally ill prisoners than gang members.

Sources: http://www.texastribune.org/2013/09/22/violence-behind-bars-tie-mental-illness; http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/04/30/1944051/mental-health-prison-population-has-skyrocketed; http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/12/17/1349471/mental-health-cuts-recession/