Iowa Prisons Under-Diagnose Inmates with Mental Illness

November 29, 2004

Iowa Prisons Under-Diagnose Inmates with Mental Illness Iowa prisons were found to under-diagnose inmates showing symptoms of mental illness and suicidal tendencies. Prison staff members were occasionally found to be too quick to assume that unusual behaviors were intentional attempts to gain special treatment, which in turn led to unfair punishment of prisoners.  In a report released October 28, 2004, four cases were studied that involved death and horrific self-inflicted injuries in order to evaluate the treatment of the mentally ill within Iowa prisons. The report looks at the cases of Warren Mundy . . .