Forcible Medication Directed Towards the Mentally Ill There have been many cases in our country that deal with mentally ill patients who have been forced to take medication against his or her will. Most of the time, the courts will rule that it is okay to force medication upon patients if the patients pose a threat to themselves or the people around them (Costanzo). From where did that thinking originate, and is it correctly exercised? People afflicted with mental illnesses have the option to take medication, but they should not be forced to take them, nor should they be used and over-medicated for a doctor's own personal gain. For some people, taking medication for their mental illnesses means giving in to the monster inside their heads,…show more content… The prison staff forced Steven to take medication so they would be able to get rid of him. Steven Staley, a paranoid schizophrenic, had a history of neglecting his medications. Prison and jail staff members reported many instances of unusual and unhealthy behavior that was an effect of Steven's schizophrenia, one of them being that he would refuse to get out of bed for so long that he developed a bald spot on the back of his head. He refused to take them on multiple occasions, and his delusions led him to commit murder—the reason why he was on death row (Grissom). It was obvious to everyone that Steven needed to take his medication, but the prison staff went about treating him in the wrong way. According to Grissom, Steven began to believe that he was being poisoned by his doctors and that everyone around him played a part in a conspiracy aimed to harm him. Forcing him to take his medication only worsened his mental state. Although it is true that Steven should have taken his medicine of his own accord, the prison staff should not have forced it upon him. Later on, Chuck Mallin, a division chief for the attorney's office, stated that Steven Staley needed to be executed so the other prisoners would not refuse to take their medications to avoid