Local jails in the United States serve an estimated 2 million people with serious mental illnesses each year. Three out of four incarcerated individuals also suffer from a substance use disorder.
Once incarcerated, these individuals tend to stay in jail longer and are at a higher risk of recidivism. This is due to the lack of health care coverage and inconsistent treatment services available to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals.
Jails can spend two to three times more on individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders than on people without, but often do not see improvements in recidivism or recovery.
Improvement in integrated systems of care between local jails and community behavioral health organizations (CBHOs) is necessary to reduce the prevalence of incarcerated individuals with mental illnesses cycling through the criminal justice system.
Linking these individuals to consistent treatment providers and health care coverage in and out of jails is essential to reducing overall jail costs and recidivism rates and to improve health outcomes and overall public safety.
[For more of this story go to http://www.thenationalcouncil....pics/health-justice/]
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