The dismantling of the public mental health system has led to a staggering number of mentally ill individuals being incarcerated instead of treated. With prisons housing three times more seriously mentally ill individuals than hospitals, the system exacerbates their conditions and results in longer sentences at a greater cost to taxpayers. The rise of an $80 billion prison industry raises ethical questions about the profit motives behind mass incarceration, as companies thrive on the suffering of the vulnerable.
