American Criminal Justice System - Assignment Example

There are serious deficits in the American criminal justice system with regards to the mentally ill. Too often their problems are not diagnosed or treated. They are also often kept in the general population rather than in special wards where their problems can be better treated. Part of this stems from the high cost of treatment and the shortage of qualified doctors and nurses working in areas of mental health. Another important aspect of this problem arises from the fact that many states pass on the funding and control of programs for the mentally ill to the federal government and its bureaucracies.

Rather than dealing with local problems on a local basis, too many of these very specific problems have to be addressed by a faceless group of officials in a distant capital. This outsourcing has been very unsuccessful in helping improve the situation of the mentally ill with regards to the criminal justice system.