Chloe Kim

  

Volume 9 | Issue I | March 2025

Phillips Academy Andover ’25

Massachusetts, USA

  

In 2023, I stumbled across an article titled “America’s Largest Mental Hospital Is a Jail” in The Atlantic. It revealed how correctional facilities have become de facto mental health institutions, highlighting statistics that alarmed me. For instance, up to 40 percent of all mentally ill Americans will be incarcerated at some point in their lives, and at least 400,000 inmates in the United States currently suffer from mental illness. This disturbing reality compelled me to investigate the historical connection between criminal justice and mental health, the focus of my research paper. My essay traces the roots of the criminalization of mental illness in the US to the 19th-century Moral Treatment movement. I explore why Moral Treatment asylums, while initially heralded for providing humane care, became notorious for their inhumane conditions, connecting my findings to present-day scholarship on prison abolition. The Schola gave me the opportunity to share my research and refine my writing through insightful feedback on bridging psychology and social policy. Outside of academics, I am committed to mental health and digital wellness advocacy. As co-president of my school’s Active Minds club, I work to destigmatize and raise awareness about mental health. I also support youth mental health initiatives as part of Strong365 and promote responsible technology use as a youth leader of #GoodforMEdia, a peer mentoring program. In my free time, I enjoy reading and spending time outdoors.