Erin's Introduction

Hey there friends! My name is Erin Lucas and I will be discussing Women in Incarceration focusing  on asylums through the years. This is mainly because I find learning about mental health fascinating and know that even though much has improved from the beginning of mental health care, there are still many devastating similarities between asylums from the 1800s and those from the 2000s.

Even as I say this, many people think, "No, we've improved everything from cleanliness to treatment options!" which may or may not be true depending on the circumstance. Surely, our institutions are cleaner and shock therapy is a thing of the past, but who looks at what treatment they have now? It often includes isolation and medication.


Now, this is not all mental institutions, but the fact that some believe that the proper way to treat depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and many more mental issues is to keep them away from any human contact is ludicrous.

I'm focusing on women for this because women have dealt with the brunt of this dehumanization for centuries. For now, I leave you with a picture from an Ohio Asylum from the 1800s and a satirical song speaking about how they were treated.

-Erin Lucas