"Insane: America's Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness" by Alisa Roth is a thought-provoking exposé on the intersection of mental health and the criminal justice system. Roth's meticulous research and compassionate storytelling shed light on the urgent need for reform. Through compelling narratives and insightful analysis, she paints a vivid picture of the challenges faced by individuals with mental illness within the legal system. This book is a call to action, urging society to address this critical issue with empathy and practical solutions. An eye-opening and crucial read for anyone interested in mental health advocacy and criminal justice reform.

I was provided an advanced copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Where to start?! I'm not usually a big non-fiction reader, but as a die hard Law & Order binge-watcher who holds a minor in psychology, this subject matter immediately stood out to me.

The book itself was very long but that was very much due to the amount of information the author was able to include. Each individual talked about in this book had their entire backstory completely laid out so you can see exactly how their path lead to prison.

If you aren't heavily interested in either the criminal justice system or psychology (or both!) I don't know that this will be the book for you. However, I HIGHLY recommend you give it a try. The ideas included are extremely important and need to be addressed, but are not easily accessible to your average person.

Insane takes the reader deep into the mental health crisis affecting America's jails and prisons. Prisoners have high rates of mental illness than the general population, and they are consistently denied treatment for their illnesses, and are also treated in ways that often make their illnesses worse. In addition to exploring statistics at a macro level, Roth also uses individual stories to show the crisis taking place, as well as steps that could help improve the situation.

The strongest element of this book is the individual stories - each one illustrates the deep failures of our current system. I found the difficulty of access to medication and counseling to be particularly profound - prisoners may have their rare appointments canceled due to jailhouse lockdown or even an insufficient number of staff meaning there's no one available to transport the prisoner. Roth also details pilot efforts to improve health care in prisons - of course, these are not available to the majority, but I was glad to read about them. If you are new to the subject like I am, this is a thorough and well-researched broad introduction to this serious issue.

Thank you to Perseus Books/Basic Books for providing a NetGalley copy in exchange for an honest review.

3 "torn, appreciative, mixed" stars !!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Perseus Books for an e-copy. This book was originally published in 2018. This edition was released June 2020. I am providing my honest review.

This is a book that is very hard to both rate and review. I have so many feelings and opinions in this subject matter. I do not wish to discuss why in this review.

The author has done a hell of a lot of research, as well as interviews and getting quite involved in the very interesting and compelling case studies she presented so well in this book. She appears to do her very best to remain neutral and non-partisan in her approach. She also does not lay blame with any particular group as to why the system is so broken not only for severely mentally ill prisoners but also the general forensic population, the workers in the system, the judicial system and the medical/ psychiatric system. For many readers this will be very eye-opening and educational. For me, not so much.

What would have been very helpful additions to this book:

1. a more clear understanding on the effects of gender, socioeconomic status and race on treatment in prison
2. a clearer definition of the population studied....mental health ranges from generalized anxiety disorder to paranoid schizophrenia....huge numbers are included in the percentages yet the book focused on those with severe psychotic disorders
3. some focus on the victims of both violent and non-violent crimes and the effects that is has on them both from a mental health and quality of life perspective
4. how brain injuries, neurological disorders, learning disabilities and developmental delays interplay with mental health conditions in this population
5. the role of substance misuse
6. the contribution of malignant personality disorders to the commission of crimes and their interplay with those with co-exisitng severe mental health disorders
7. the information is often scattered....a synopsis at the end of each chapter as well as charts and flow charts would have also added to absorbing the info in the book
8. more emphasis on possible solutions that would be helpful for all....severely mentally ill prisoners, the general prison population and very importantly victims of violent crime as well.

A valiant attempt at presenting an extremely important subject matter. Certainly a pretty good book with those with little knowledge of the subject area.

A must read for anyone concerned with mental health and prison systems in America. The failings of the healthcare and criminal justice systems in this country have lead to an outright crisis for those with mental illness. Often neglected and abused in jails and prisons they are left to suffer, unable to advocate for themselves. This is a shocking investigation into how some changes are being made, but the glaring short comings of what is, in truth, many broken systems.

Thanks to Netgalley for this copy in return for my honest review.

"A society should be judged not by how it treats its outstanding citizens but by how it treats its criminals." -Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Alisa Roth's exposé "Insane" sheds light on America's most vulnerable populations as they navigate the criminal justice system; she reveals the challenges that the mentally ill face before, during, and after release. This book is divided into three parts, a history of mental health care and mass incarceration in America and how so many mentally ill end up trapped in the system, a look into how the mentally ill are treated/mistreated/left untreated once they arrive, and possible solutions to this growing epidemic along with examples from cities and counties addressing the problem and seeing progress.

This book has been so thoroughly researched with history and statistics, but also tells the harrowing and heartbreaking stories of specific individuals and their families who have been willing to share their experiences. I'm absolutely impressed by Alisa Roth and wish that this work would be optioned for a documentary series to reach a wider audience. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the advanced reader copy.

An extremely interesting insight into the way in which mental health patients in America are not receiving the correct care when incarcerated. A real eye opener.

Those with intellectual disabilities and/or mental health diagnoses have a special place in my heart. Previously working for a non-profit, I heard of experiences similar to what was outlined in this book. Several individuals supported by my company were arrested and taken to jail; one actually passed away while in jail. When I read the synopsis for this book, that's what I first thought of and made me want to read a more about this. Before reading this book and several others with similar subject matter, I had naively thought that mental health was taken into consideration in all steps of the legal system.

This was a heartbreaking and eye-opening look at our jails and the lack of acceptable care for those with mental health challenges. The author put in substantial research into this work, and it's obvious and well-written. It's pretty rare for me to highlight anything when I'm reading; maybe a quote or two if it really speaks to me. With this book, I was highlighting paragraph after paragraph; in some cases, I highlighted whole pages.

For me, this was a book I needed to take in slowly and reflect upon, as the subject matter was quite disturbing and upsetting. I think this book pairs nicely with Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, who discusses many cases he fought for where mental health disorders played a major role.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book, especially with everything going on in the world today.. Just know that it's certainly a heavier read.

In Insane, Roth attempts to take on an incredibly important topic: mental health and the criminal justice system. While I found much of her writing compelling and believe very much in the need for prison reform, especially but not only as it relates to mental health, I didn't love Roth's approach. Occasionally, she uses language that is imprecise or unclear, which bothered me. But on a larger scale, I can't help but wonder if she could have gone a step further, especially in light of the current conversations we're having about race and justice. Roth is particularly dismissive about the need to address the interplay of race with her subject, and I feel gives too much credit to attempts to "fix" a broken system through better training for police officers - whom she fully acknowledges essentially act as social workers - rather than asking more radical and necessary questions.

This book was a total eye opener. It was so well researched and full of so much information but was presented in an easy to read and digestible format. I felt I learned so much about the cycle of mental illness, addiction and substance issues and the prison system in America and the extreme short comings of the government and in some cases officers and correctional officers who are employed to look after those in their care. The book really made me (as a UK citizen) terrified of what devastation can be caused by having limited access to health care. My heart was breaking for the many case studies we were introduced to throughout the book and felt the author was an ally of those who can no longer voice the injustices they experienced. Absolutely brilliant book. Would definitely recommend.

Although the subject matter is dire at times Roth has created a well paced, critical analysis of an often ignored emergency in our society. She does so with respect and dignity for those on both sides of the agenda. Rather than decrying the system, she acknowledges the painful decisions made on a daily basis by the people forced to work and live within that system.

Some years ago, the closure of mental hospitals or insane asylums was heralded as a positive move to empower the sick and free them into society. Sadly, society did not care enough to ensure that there were sufficient resources to adequately support those with psychological illnesses in the community. Many fell through the cracks, and some ended up homeless, confused, lost and desperate. They inevitably ending up within Criminal Justice System.

Insane is a powerful work, well researched by an exceptional journalist and writer. Written with a compassion and sensitivity that is difficult to describe. Insane is one of those books that you just have to read for yourself to fully appreciate the depth and nature of the subject. Clearly written, masterfully researched, and exceptional in every way. I can’t wait to read Alisa Roth’s next offering.

Insane:America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness by Alisa Roth is by far, the best debut offering I have read this year. I would not be surprised to find it on the Pulitzer nomination list.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Insane by Alisa Roth is not for the faint hearted. This eye opening, shocking, and at times sickening account of the mental health crisis within the American justice system shows how some of the most the vulnerable people in society are falling into a system that cannot offer them the care they need. Roth gets to know the people stuck inside the system and those who are trying to fix it and presents their stories with brutal honesty. My brain shouted 'What the f' way to many times whilst reading this book! Some of what I read just seemed so incomprehensible, it just sounded so ridiculous or so appalling that it couldn't be true. I don't think I will ever forget one of the stories of such horrific abuse and killing of an inmate with mental health problems. It truly made me feel sick to my stomach that another human had suffered so much at the hands of people that were meant to be caring for him. If anyone was in any doubt before, then after reading this book it would become very clear that prison is not the right place for those with severe and enduring mental health diagnoses.
Even though Roth does provide us with examples of people and services that are trying to change the way mental health patients are treated when they come in to contact with the Police, unfortunately it just felt like a drop in the ocean. Clearly big changes are needed to address the inadequacies of both the mental health care system and the justice system, and I believe more books and publications exposing the failures can only help.
I will say that the book is quite dry in places and very data heavy so it's definitely a book that requires time and mental effort to fully appreciate.

A thorough and well-written analysis of how mental illness is handled by the United States - largely by the United States DOC. It's a worthwhile examination of the failings of the police, the legal system, and the jails in handling individuals that either haven't gotten the appropriate treatment for their mental illness or have stopped treatment for any number of reasons.
Thank you to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with a copy for review.

Oh goodness. Where even to start? First, Insane is a book about mental health within the criminal justice system. And how the two do not, and have never, mixed well. It is a very compelling and heart-breaking, expose-type book. How in many ways, we have failed and continue to fail those floundering with mental health issues. Not only that, but the criminal justice system borderline abuses itself in the way mental health is concerned. We turn a blind eye to those in need, until they act out, and then suddenly, we strike back with a flame-thrower. It's all really awful.

Roth takes us through several case-studies to show us how bad the system is. First, if you're not already convinced going into the book that the American justice system needs a revamp, then this book might not be for you. Sure, if you do already have that mindset, this book could only be confirmation bias. But, I think it's also pretty well known....we need a change.

As someone who suffers from MDD, I can only imagine what life would be like behind bars, in solitary, and knowing I wouldn't ever get the help I badly needed.

Insane is basically a horrible depiction of the truth. As much as I was fascinated by this book, I was equally disgusted. But Roth does a great job of keeping things even, so the choice is mine to be disgusted by how the American system is(n't) working

Just FYI, trigger warnings for rape, suicide, neglect, abuse, and depression.

Insane publishes 6.9.2020.

5/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me an early copy of this book.

With such a topic, it would be easy to fall into sensationalism and bloody retellings of what happened. Quite in the same way, it’d be easy to classify all of these people as monsters – like so many of us are doing.

Instead, the author shows nothing but understanding for everyone met when writing this book, and tragedies are explained without judgement.

I found riveting and scary at the same time to have an insight of people that we tend to hide behind barriers. It’s extremely sad to see how the American government, and probably many more governments worldwide, are failing such a vulnerable population.

As someone who doesn’t know much about either psychiatry or law, I really appreciated the book, which was accessible to everyone, and read very easily.

The only thing I might have appreciated is a look into how other countries do it. It might have been interesting to know how the author felt other countries succeeded where the USA so obviously failed.

Full disclosure with this, I have suffered with mental illness my entire life so any work that deals with it draws my attention. Luckily, I have never been diagnosed with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia which is talked about a lot in this book nor have I been incarcerated. That being said, I found the author’s correlations with regards to mental health and the penal system to be very eye-opening. It is definitely a shame in how our country deals with mental illness and this is just one more point of reference. I feel the author was very concise in making their point.

Wow! This is a great book! Very eye opening and I think her conclusion of everything is amazing and its definitely an eye opener. While I don't think that a solution will come from this book I do think it will provide a highlight to it!
I did definitely not know that in some prisons that prisoners were in isolation all the time like that. This is a very eye opening book and I definitely recommend this book to everyone!

In Insane, Alisa Roth tackles the pervasive and complicated problem of mentally ill Americans being housed in prisons. Roth's research is meticulous as she details the historical precedent of jailing the mentally ill, the myriad complex legal and medical issues that often make prisions the only options for mentally ill people and the unsuitability of the American prison system for those with mental illness. Roth includes heartbreaking personal accounts of mentally ill people who have been jailed in her research, which shows the human toll of this practice. My only issue with this book was that I often had trouble understanding the description of the laws and processes that surround this issue but that in itself is testament to the labrynthine nature of these processes and how difficult it is for the people they affect to navigate them.

Mental health subject has always interested me. So when I saw this arc was available , I was very happy to receive it. This is a very good and well written book about people with mental health issues and the prison system. I must admit that this book has made me realize that this issue needs to be looked at more closely. Very insightful book. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

I've been excited about this book since I first heard about it, and it did not disappoint. The characters sucked you into the story and the story kept you turning pages as fast as you could. I devoured it in a day. I loved it.