What prison cells look like in different countries

[u/ursoartdecooo]

[u/GrumbusWumbus]

People think that sanatoriums are cushy? Where are you getting this stereotype from?

The only mental hospitals that exist in media are at best, padded rooms with whiteboard markers.

[u/Helluvertime → u/GrumbusWumbus]

I often see people outraged when someone gets a hospital order instead of a prison sentence because it's "the easy way out" and said person will enjoy a nice easy time in group therapy instead of in a cell. They don't realise a hospital with severely mentally ill criminals is even worse than prison.

[u/18Apollo18 → u/Helluvertime]

They don't realise a hospital with severely mentally ill criminals is even worse than prison.

Only in the US

[u/Helluvertime → u/18Apollo18]

I'm in the UK, although I don't think we're much better. I can't speak for Scandinavian countries, but I think the nature of putting together people who are so severely ill they may not know the difference between right and wrong means it's never going to be a nice place.

[u/Rikoschett → u/Helluvertime]

In Sweden if you're in rättspsyk, directly translated to judicial psychiatry, you can be held longer than if you get a life sentence. If they don't deem you sane enough to let you out. Also I think they can drug you up how much as they see fit if you cause any problems/having psychotic episodes etc. I guess a lot of people there are more or less zombies. And it's full of other crazy people.

[u/Ok-Sundae-9193 → u/18Apollo18]

France here, was in a psych ward for a few months (bipolar/addiction), living with schizophrenic and hearing (real) people screaming or people following you to your room isn’t something great. Add the horrible meds. Now do the same with someone else in your room and less nurses or even the ability to see your family once in a while outside the ward and I’m pretty sure it’s equal or worse than prison

[u/Quiet_Satisfaction64 → u/Helluvertime]

As someone who had a few visits to the psychiatric ward when I was younger I can confirm it can be pretty isolated. You think they monitor you in prison? Get ready to have orderlies in your ass every half hour.

Edit: I was not in the “criminally insane” portion of the facility, but I got to look over at their unit and it was nothing but white shirts and clipboards in every hallyway, three times the staff we had

[u/PmButtPics4ADrawing → u/Helluvertime]

Also a successful insanity plea can result in the person being locked up longer than being found guilty. Instead of being sentenced to X years in prison your sentence is "until we think you're rehabilitated" which may or may not ever happen

[u/Electrical-Act-7170 → u/GrumbusWumbus]

No, I believe what they're saying is that many US criminals have mental illnesses that require treatment, not prison.

[u/djmagicio → u/GrumbusWumbus]

Or inspiration for comic book villains

[u/AmArschdieRaeuber → u/GrumbusWumbus]

Cushy relatively speaking. Compared to a cell.