NCJ Number
221691
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 45 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 2007 Pages: 1-17
Date Published
2007
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined the prevalence of mental illness in American jails and prisons, the duty government and society has to provide appropriate mental health treatment, and the implications for inmate safety, costs, recidivism, and community reintegration without the provision of mental health treatment.
Abstract
The prevalence of persons with mental illness in American correctional systems is significant and ever-increasing. The rate of mental illness among inmates is estimated to be 2 to 3 times higher than in the general community. Particularly affected subpopulations of offenders include females, Whites, elderly, developmentally disabled, substance disordered, administratively segregated, and maximum and supermax-offenders. Those mentally ill offenders in correctional systems have a constitutional right to treatment and American society has a duty to provide it. Limited evidence suggests that prison-based programming is effective at reducing recidivism; thus, the costs of treating mentally ill offenders may actually result in long-run cost savings for taxpayers if treatment prevents future incarcerations. To afford treatment to mentally ill offenders, corrections officials need to embrace the treatment mandate by adopting and implementing meaningful mental health treatment policies and programs in their facilities. Prisons are increasingly being filled with inmates who suffer from mental illness. The purpose of this paper is to examine the prevalence of mental illness in American jails and prisons, the duty government and society has to provide appropriate mental health treatment, and the implications for inmate safety, costs, recidivism, and community reintegration if meaningful mental health treatment is not provided. References