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Persons With Serious Mental Illness in the Criminal Justice System: Background, Prevalence, and Principles of Care

NCJ Number
187091
Journal
Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2000 Pages: 312-328
Author(s)
Arthur J. Lurigio
Date Published
December 2000
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the background, prevalence, and principles of care of persons with serious mental illness in the criminal justice system.
Abstract
The article describes the major factors that have led to the criminalization of persons with serious mental illness (PSMIs), and presents several core principles for improving the care of PSMIs in the criminal justice system. The principles include mental health training for criminal justice staff, pretrial diversion projects, coordinated services for criminally involved PSMIs, integrated treatment for PSMIs with co-occurring disorders, aftercare linkage for PSMIs released from jails and prisons, continuous care models with single-point access to services for PSMIs with lengthy records of hospitalization and arrest, and more and better research on PSMIs involved in the criminal justice system. The article concludes that jails and prisons have become the “hospitals of last resort” for care of PSMIs, who are often incarcerated because no other settings are amenable or accessible. Dramatic financial cutbacks in social services and mental health programs, and managed care restrictions, have made the criminalization of PSMIs even more likely. Finally, the problem of PSMIs in the criminal justice system will be resolved only when fundamental changes in public policies make mental health care in the United States more available, accessible, and affordable. References

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