Waiting for an Echo

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Galvanized by her experiences in jails, psychiatrist Christine Montross reveals the profound human cost of mass incarceration and mental illness. Having dedicated her career to treating severely ill psychiatric patients, she investigates why many of them become entangled in the legal system upon discharge and what transpires during their incarceration. This work offers a rare insight into American prisons and critiques policies that criminalize mental illness, forcing individuals who need treatment into punitive environments. The stark reality of these institutions is shocking, but Montross's expertise in crisis management allows her to uncover the personal stories behind the bars. Readers encounter a father grappling with plea bargains, a young woman whose addiction derails her life, and boys in juvenile detention creating ways to connect across cells. Overburdened doctors and correctional officers strive to provide care in perilous conditions. Montross highlights how the correctional system often exacerbates mental illness, leaving not only those with existing conditions worse off but also destabilizing mentally healthy individuals. This maddening system strips away freedom, selfhood, and mental well-being. With 95 percent of inmates eventually returning to society, these practices have far-reaching consequences for us all.