Prevalence of Serious Mental Illness Among Jail Inmates

Download pdf.

The current rates of mental illness among inmates in five jails (two in Maryland and three in New York) are investigated. There are 13.5% male and 31.0% female inmates with serious mental illness. While "[t]here is broad consensus that jails are not the optimal settings to provide acute psychiatric treatment . . . the substantial presence of individuals with serious mental illnesses in our country's jails . . . calls for a clearer explication of the contributing factors and discussion of appropriate responses"