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Services for the Mentally Ill Inmate: An Exploratory Inquiry -- Selected Issues at the Interface of the Mental Health Service and Criminal Justice Systems

NCJ Number
122810
Author(s)
W A Kimmel
Date Published
1987
Length
84 pages
Annotation
This paper focuses on services for adult mentally ill inmates (MII's), whether recognized or diagnosed, in jails and prisons at State and local levels.
Abstract
Evidence suggests that the prevalence of severe mental disorders among jail inmates ranges from 1 to 7 percent; the rate for less severe disorders is estimated as high as 20 percent. Jails experience high rates of suicide, especially among young first offenders, and such facilities tend to be a relatively common holding location for some deinstitutionalized, mentally ill homeless people. Five principles should guide the planning of humane and responsive jail mental health programs: (1) the MII is a community issue; (2) jails are primarily correctional facilities and not mental health clinics; (3) jails need limited, but high quality professional mental health services; (4) crisis intervention and case management are important; and (5) there is no one best way to organize a jail mental health program. Research indicates that about 6 percent of all prison inmates are mentally ill. A study of New York prisons, however, estimates that 8 percent of all inmates have severe psychiatric problems and that 16 percent exhibit significant psychiatric and/or functional disabilities. Issues in providing services to MII's concern service objectives, level and amount of services to which MII's are entitled, whether custodial goals are compatible with service goals, and barriers to improving the care of MII's. 54 references.