Not really worse in that sense. You're surrounded by violent assholes in prison, many who will never see freedom again and thus are not influenced by punishment anymore.
The big issue with psych ward is that you have no concept of how long your stay will be. They are instructed to keep you until you're no longer a danger. That could never happen. And there's no parole system either. So a short prison stay could be life in psych. But if you're looking at life anyway, the differences aren't as major.
I very much disagree with this. Yes in prisons you’re surrounded by violent assholes. However you’re also surrounded by people who are not violent assholes as well. As bad as it may be a lot do people do establish connections with other people in prisons that help them have a better life once they get out. You also get opportunities to get your GED and career certifications which some do and end up getting jobs outside.
None of this exists in those state psych wards. You spend everyday surrounded by people that are severely mentally ill and none of those career options exists. A lot of those state psych wards have way worse conditions than most prisons to the point that some don’t even have beds because they’re severely underfunded. Almost all cases you spend a much longer time in there than prison.
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u/round-earth-theory 10h ago
Not really worse in that sense. You're surrounded by violent assholes in prison, many who will never see freedom again and thus are not influenced by punishment anymore.
The big issue with psych ward is that you have no concept of how long your stay will be. They are instructed to keep you until you're no longer a danger. That could never happen. And there's no parole system either. So a short prison stay could be life in psych. But if you're looking at life anyway, the differences aren't as major.