It's no secret that our nation's jails and prisons house individuals charged with or convicted of crimes. What most Americans don't know is that more Americans with a mental illness or addiction reside in jail and prison than in health care institutions.
Sixty-five percent of inmates meet the criteria for a substance abuse disorder (a rate seven times higher than the general population) and more than half have a mental health problem. Many are incarcerated for nonviolent offenses related to their condition, such as public disturbance or possession of substances. Once imprisoned, inmates with mental illness or addiction often become trapped in a revolving door of arrest, release, poverty, deterioration of health, and re-arrest.
Meanwhile, public safety officials are frequently the first responders in behavioral health emergencies, despite the fact that many officers lack training to handle an individual with a serious behavioral health condition. Being the first line of response to health crises takes officers away from their other duties maintaining community safety and puts them in the role of de facto health providers. The same is true for judges, prosecutors, public defenders, corrections officers, and other public employees involved throughout a person's journey from arrest to incarceration.
[For more of this story, written by Linda Rosenberg, go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...menta_b_8771132.html]
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