Bridgewater State Hospital

Communities comprise shared places. The shared areas can be virtual, geographic, or based on shared identity (Ohmer & Underwood, 2022). The geographically based communities have specific social, geographical, and psychological meanings for the individuals who reside and work there. Virtual communities are apparent in online environments where individuals engage with each other. Communities also tend to form around common interests and shared identities. The three types of communities can co-exist independently or overlap with each other. Communities are the center of macro social practices of work. For a long time, social workers have interacted with the three types of communities and dished out their services to them. The Bridgewater State Hospital is located in Massachusetts in Plymouth County. It is at 20Administration Road, Bridgewater, MA, 02324. The hospital is a medium security institution housing offenders deemed dangerous to others and themselves. The institution’s mission is to maintain and establish a secure, safe, and humane environment for all individuals needing specialized treatment and care. This paper will identify the statistical data of Bridgewater State Hospital and its immediate Geographical location, Plymouth County.

Statistical Data Overview

Sociodemographic data

Bridgewater State Hospital is a medium security prison facility. It is a level IV institution that houses criminally insane individuals. The Wellpath medical services manage the facility (Prison Insight, 2022). The Bridgewater State Hospital houses individuals under civil commitments devoid of criminal sentences. Occasionally, the pretrial detainees subjected to criminal responsibility evaluations and competency by the court are accommodated by the institution. The facility has a considerable capacity to house 897 inmates (Calhounscsheriff, 2022). Bridgewater State Hospital houses only male prisoners for long-term and short-term duration. (Calhounscsheriff, 2022). The prisoners under the short term are those with a prison sentence of fewer than two years. The Bridgewater State Hospital has over 218 employees who serve under a senior warden (Calhounscsheriff, 2022). (The hospital data is tabulated in Appendix A)

Plymouth County is part of the geographical community of the Bridgewater State Hospital since the institution is geographically located in the county. In 2021, Plymouth County had a population of 533,003, upward from the 2010 population of 495 973 (USAFacts, 2022). The greatest annual population increase in the county occurred between 2019 and 2020, by a rise of 1.8% (USAFacts, 2022). Plymouth county population between 2010 and 2021 grew at an average rate of 0.7% annually (USAFacts, 2022). The major ethnic groups in the county with their percentage of the population are; White (Non-Hispanic) 80%, African Americans who are not Hispanics 9.07%, White Hispanic 2.08%, Other non-Hispanic 2.35%, and Multi-racial Non-Hispanics races making 2.95% (Tabulation in appendix B) (Datausa, 2022). None of the individuals residing in Plymouth County reported speaking another language other than English as a primary lingua. 96.2% of the individuals calling the county home are USA citizens, while 3.8% are not registered, American citizens. The largest universities in Plymouth are Bridgewater State University Signature Healthcare Hospital and Massasoit Community College. The average car ownership in the county is two cars per household (Datausa, 2022).

In 2020, 9.79% of Plymouth County was born out of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.5%. In 2019, the rate of foreign-born residents was 9.61 (Datausa, 2022). Compared to the rate in 2020, it implies that there has been an increase in the number of individuals born out of the country.

Health in Plymouth County

The population in Plymouth County without health insurance is 3. 0% which accounts for the U.S. national median of 11.0% (U.S News, 2022). The rate at which individuals in the county smoke is 16.1. The percentage accounts for the National Median of 20% (U.S News, 2022). The average life expectancy of people residing in Plymouth County is 79.8%. It accounts for the average national life expectancy of 77.5 years (U.S News, 2022).

Substance abuse in Plymouth County

Plymouth county has had fatal opioid overdose incidents that the state police have responded to from 2014 to 2021 (PCDATF, 2022). The opioids include opioid-based painkillers, heroin, and other unspecified opioid-related drugs. The data recorded from the Mass State Police and the PCDAFD shows that in 2014, there were 122 deaths. In 2015, there were 178 deaths; in 2016, 194 deaths; in 2017, 147 deaths; in 2018, 112 deaths; in 2019, 143 deaths; in 2020, 165 deaths, and in 2021 there were 132 deaths caused by the consumption of opioids (Tabulation in Appendix C) (PCDATF, 2022).

Incarceration Rate in Plymouth County

Plymouth County males are incarcerated at 325 per 100,000 male U.S residents, which is approximately 12 times more than the incarceration rate of females (StateCourts, 2022). The incarceration rate of the females in the state is 26 females per 100,000 female U.S residents (Appendix E has tabulated the rate of incarceration of the males and females over the years in the county). The rate of imprisonment of males from 2010 to 2015 increased by 6% (StateCourts, 2022). On the contrary, the incarceration rate of females has decreased by 1% (StateCourts, 2022). In the county, the rate of incarceration of white people is 109 per 100,000 white U.S. residents. The rate of incarceration of African Americans in the county is 1923 per 100 000 black males after its decline by 45% (StateCourts, 2022). The Hispanic incarceration rate in the county is 1648 per 100,000 Hispanic U.S. residents. (Find Tabulation of racial incarceration rate in Appendix D).

Cost of Living in Plymouth County

The total of employer establishments in Plymouth county in 2020 was 12780, showcasing employment availability (Bureau, 2022). The cost of living in Plymouth is 36% higher than the U.S. national average (Payscale, 2022). The housing expenses of the county are 56% higher than the U.S. national average. The utility prices of the county are 26% more than those of the national level (Payscale, 2022). The expenses for transport are 9% higher than the average national rate.

Discussion

 How do the quantitative and qualitative data you collected complement each other? How do they contradict each other?

In 2021 Plymouth County, 132 people died due to the overconsumption of opioids (PCDATF, 2022). The qualitative and quantitative data complement each other since the rate at which individuals smoke and the population lacking health insurance registration is equally small. 3% of the people in the county lack health insurance, whereas the smoking rate of the residents is at 20.0%. The data contradict each other where the population of the residents in Plymouth country increase between 2010 to 2021 gradually by 0.7% yet the rate of people getting imprisoned seems to reduce (USAFacts, 2022). For instance, the rate of incarceration among black Americans decreased from 3493 to 1923 between 2010 and 2015 (StateCourts, 2022).

What do you see as this community’s biggest strength(s)?

The biggest strength of the community in Plymouth County is the gradual declining rate of crime evidenced by the decrease in incarceration rates among White Americans, Black Americans, and Hispanics. In 2010, the rate of white incarceration was 117 per 100 000 whites (StateCourts, 2022). In 2015, the rate declined to 109 per 100 000 whites. Among Black Americans, the incarceration rate declined from 3,493 to 1923 per 100,000 individuals between 2010 and 2015. Latinos’ incarceration rate diminished from 1530 to 1270 within five years (StateCourts, 2022). Based on the gradual rate of decline, the numbers are bound to continue reducing in the future. The reduced incarceration rate hypothesizes that the county’s rampancy of crime is on a gradual decline.

What evidence can you find that environmental or policy issues have disproportionately impacted specific populations in your community?

The males in Plymouth County have been disproportionately affected by policy and the environment in the county. According to the statistics, males have a higher incarceration rate than females. The males are incarcerated at the rate of 325 per 100 000 population, whereas the females are incarcerated at the rate of 26 females per 100,000 female U.S residents (StateCourts, 2022). The high rate at which the males in the county are incarcerated compared to the women has a significant margin. The unexplainable difference conjures the hypothesis of men being disproportionately affected by the policy and the environment. It is quite probable that the fact that the men are environmentally predisposed to provide for the family makes them capable of breaking the law to provide for their families. The high cost of living in Plymouth County, which is 36% higher than the average national cost in the U.S., is responsible for putting a strain on the men; therefore, they break the law to make ends meet. Consequently, they get incarcerated for that.

What opportunities do you see for your organization to contribute to and engage further with this community?

The Bridgewater State Hospital is bound to provide employment opportunities for the residents of Plymouth County. The hospital has the potency of spreading community practice. Community practice focuses on engaging the community towards community goals (Gutierrez & Gant). Currently, the hospital has approximately 218 employees (Calhounscsheriff, 2022). The employment provision to Plymouth County residents makes them afford the high cost of living in the county. The Bridgewater State Hospital is a level four institution holding prisoners with legally declared mental issues. The essence of the hospital’s activities in the community enables the county to level down crime rampancy committed by individuals declared clinically insane.

References

Bureau, U. (2022). Explore Census Data. Data.census.gov. Retrieved 28 September 2022, from https://data.census.gov/cedsci/all?q=Economy%20of%20plymouth.

calhounscsheriff. (2022). Bridgewater State Hospital Inmate Search and Prison Information. calhounscsheriff.com. Retrieved 25 September 2022, from https://calhounscsheriff.com/massachusetts/state/bridgewater-state-hospital/.

Datausa (2022). Plymouth County, MA | Data USA.io. Retrieved 25 September 2022, from https://datausa.io/profile/geo/plymouth-county-ma.

Gutierrez, l., & Gant, L. (2018). Community Practice in Social Work: Reflections on Its First Century and Directions for the Future. Retrieved 25 September 2022, from.

Ohmer, M., & Underwood, E. (2022). Communities in Macro Practice. Encyclopedia Of Social Work.. Retrieved 25 September 2022, from https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.531.

Payscale.com. (2022). Cost of Living in Plymouth, MA | PayScale. Retrieved 25 September 2022, from https://www.payscale.com/cost-of-living-calculator/Massachusetts-Plymouth.

Prison Insight. (2022). Bridgewater State Hospital – Prison Insight. Retrieved 25 September 2022, from https://prisoninsight.com/correctional-facilities/state/massachusetts/bridgewater-state-hospital/.

StateCourts. (2022). Plymouth County, MA Inmate Search – StateCourts. Statecourts.org. Retrieved 25 September 2022, from https://www.statecourts.org/inmate-search/massachusetts/plymouth-county/#:~:text=In%20PLYMOUTH%20County%2C%20males%20are,incarceration%20rate%20lowered%20by%201%25.

 The Plymouth County Drug Abuse Task Force (PCDATF). (2022). The Plymouth County Drug Abuse Task Force. Retrieved 25 September 2022, from https://otf.plymouthda.com/.

U.S News. (2022). Overview of Plymouth County, MA. U.S News.com. Retrieved 28 September 2022, from https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/massachusetts/p.

USAFacts. (2022). Plymouth County, MA population by year, race, & more. Retrieved 28 September 2022, from https://usafacts.org/data/topics/people-society/population-and-demographics/our-changing-population/state/massachusetts/county/plymouth-county.

Appendix Section

Appendix A

Bridgewater State Hospital Statistical Report (Calhounscsheriff, 2022)

Appendix B

Ethnicity in Plymouth County (Datausa, 2022)

Appendix C

Opioid Related Deaths in Plymouth County from 2014 to 2021 (PCDATF, 2022)

Appendix D

Incarceration rate of Hispanics, African Americans, and White Americans in the Plymouth County (StateCourts, 2022).

Appendix E

Incarceration rate of males and females in Plymouth County from 2010 to 2015 (StateCourts, 2022)