Arnold Kling at Econlog, quoted and linked to Bernard Harcourt at Volokh Conspiracy. Prisons and mental health institutions seem to be substitutes for one another. Today and always in this country anyways.
My comment:
David Rothman’s The Discovery of the Asylum, is probably the most exhaustive history of incarceration institutions in America. He explicitly parallels the birth and growth of asylums with prisons in the US.
By the way, the functions of both institutions appear to have been achieved effectively by private means long before state, regional, or national provision.
The Imprisoner's Dilemma
comments on political economy, punishment theory and mass incarceration
That is an interesting comparision, but I think if you asked inmates which one they would rather be in, most of them would pick the asylum. If you would rather have one over the other then I do not believe that they can be substitutes. That is why people TRY to say they are mental and TRY to get into an asylum for these reasons.
1) I guarantee you that death rates in Asylums are a lot lower than in Prisons. This is becuase there are no gangs and no turf to protect in Asylums and do not have to deal with violent race issues. This is why Prison guards carry guns and Asylum guards carry batons.
2) The average stay in an asylum is a lot shorter than in prison. Criminals who are charged with murder and plead insane will spend less time in the asylum being rehabed than in prison waiting for parole. It is amazing how people become sane so fast after being insane and killing lots of people.
3) your chances of being raped are a lot lower in an asylum.