Reply #43: Have you even been to a Mental Hospital? They are some of the more secure places I have even visite. [View All]

[happyslug]

When I had to visit a client in State Prison, it had less controls on entrances and exits then when I had to visit another client at the local neuro-psychiatric ward. It was easy to get into the Ward, but impossible to get out. The prison was hard to get in (you had to go through security and all that search to make sure no contraband is going into the Prison), in the ward, push open the door and walked in.

On the other hand, getting out of the prison was a snap, checked out and left, no search. To exit the Ward I had to not only check out BUT wait for them to electronically unlock the door.

There were no bars on either place, thick glass does a much better job of keeping people in. Furthermore, if you ever left the NP ward, you still had to make it out of the Hospital, which was down another seven floors. The prison, once you were out, you were out.

Sorry, most mental hospitals have BETTER security then most prisons, you do not see it for the Mental Hospitals want to look like a Hospital not a prison, but they have top notch security.

On the other hand Prisons LOOK like they have Security, even when they do not. Image is important to both Hospitals and Prisons and what most people see is the image not the reality of the underlying security.

One last comment, most people in Mental Hospitals do not have the mental ability (do to their mental health problem) to escape, you have to understand how security works to work around it and most people in Mental Hospitals do NOT have that capacity. If they do that is a sign they are SANE and thus subject to trial (If no trial has occurred) OR subject to placement is a more secure hospital (Which exists but no one reports about them for they are hell holes for people with the least controlled mental health problems end up in such places, they are so bad people in other mental hospitals behave themselves let they be sent to those super secure mental hospitals),