Corrections, Mental Health, and Social Policy: An International Perspective

Edited by Robert K. Ax and Thomas J. Fagan
Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, Ltd., 2007

The editors, Drs. Ax and Fagan have been able to corral the contributions of several distinguished international academics and practitioners in compiling this book on Corrections, Mental health, and Social policy.  Historical and current perspectives as well as recommendations gleaned through referenced research encompassing of international material can begin to make a dent in revolutionizing correctional mental health care in the United States.   By taking a multidisciplinary approach and being unashamed to follow in the footsteps of what works in Canada and the Netherlands, the U.S. could enjoy a reduction in spending and a streamlining of resources while acquiring international human rights prestige. 

According to the co-editors, mental illness is a reality for more than 16% of the U.S. prison population.  As well, this condition for the number of foreign-born prisoners is on the rise.  By not shying away from insights about cultural challenges, terrorists, and the politically motivated offenders, this book is a unique yet required compendium of what works and what can work in the U.S., from not only a correctional health perspective, but also from a public health perspective.  The death penalty and the role of the mental health practitioner are brought to the forefront.  Even well-guarded sparse data from Russia, China, and South Africa are lessons on what doesn’t work. This multi-national effort concurrently focuses the microscope on high-risk to repeat offenders and on young offenders as well as elderly offenders, paying particular attention to the role of restorative justice, diversion, and rehabilitation.

This book demonstrates the editors’ humility to defy tradition and lay bare their vulnerabilities by seeking and inviting foreign-born correctional mental health researchers and practitioners to the table.  It also complements their 2003 guide to best practice: Correctional Mental Health Handbook and marries academics and practitioners to achieve compassion for offenders with mental health diagnoses.  This inclusiveness is a modeling not just of proven foreign ideas and systems but also a plea to include a multidisciplinary approach and to deviate from the orthodox approach.  A timely and compelling initiative in tandem with the new U.S. administration to achieve the “change”, “hope”, and a “yes, we can” mission.  Undoubtedly, it is a forerunner in the severely ailing correctional mental health care area.  While other areas are only now being mandated to propose fresh ideas to encompass change, the co-editors have already catapulted their model of inclusiveness into the forefront even as they seek compassion and human rights for this population.  This approach seeks to establish accountability and continuity of care incorporating cultural competence and demands that courts, corrections, and community organizations work together.

The authors make a bold and comprehensive attempt to bridge the gap between correctional mental health care and public health services and have shown how the role of non-governmental organizations and empiricism can rise above tradition and set an example to incorporate inclusiveness and cultural competence.  It is arguably an unlikely place where the U.S. economy can gain a stronghold in the rampant consumption of resources and funds which presently strangles its damaged morale and economy.  By stepping back and learning what works in other countries, as did the editors, Ax and Fagan, the U.S. can thus adopt these recommendations and lead the world in the area of corrections, mental health, and social policy.   From an economic vantage point, this is an area which is least likely to be seen as a place to invest in a time of global recession however, it is probably one of the most likely places to reap medium to long-term gains.