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Forensic Mental Health Services Provided by Mental Health Organizations, United States, 1985

NCJ Number
121944
Author(s)
R W Redick; M J Witkin; J E Atay; R W Manderscheid
Date Published
1989
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The 1985 National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Inventory shows that 1,339 (43 percent) of the 3,118 mental health organizations surveyed provided mental health services to mentally disordered adult offenders.
Abstract
The majority of these forensic services were in multiservice mental health organizations, 23 percent in freestanding psychiatric outpatient clinics, 14 percent in State mental hospitals, and 4 percent in private psychiatric hospitals. Services were provided by about two-thirds of the 289 State mental hospitals, 55 percent of the 1,383 multiservice mental health organizations, and 40 percent of the 756 freestanding psychiatric outpatient clinics. Psychiatric assessment was the forensic service provided most frequently, followed by consultation to law enforcement staff and attorneys, psychiatric outpatient care, monitoring of medication, emergency mental health care, inpatient/residential care, partial care, and emergency detention. About 200,000 mentally disordered offenders received psychiatric assessment services; slightly over 100,000 were provided psychiatric outpatient care. Funding for forensic services, totaling $639 million, was received by just half of the mental health organizations with these services. About four-fifths of this funding came from State mental health agencies. 8 tables (Author abstract modified)