Mental Illness Over-Represented in Jails and Prisons
From U.S. Newswire Releases:
A report released today by the United States Department of Justice shows that the number of Americans with mental illnesses incarcerated in the nation's prisons and jails is disproportionately high.
The Campaign for Mental Health Reform, created to promote access to quality mental health services, sees the staggering figures in this report as evidence of the need for increased investment in community-based treatment and services.
"These numbers confirm that the criminal justice system has become America's de facto mental health system, inappropriately confining hundreds of thousands of youth and adults with mental disorders," said Bill Emmet, spokesperson for the Campaign.
The Campaign believes that individuals with mental illnesses are better served by having access to treatment and services in the community.
Research shows that making effective services available is often far less costly than incarceration and helps reduce recidivism.
"Until we take concrete steps towards a comprehensive mental health system that brings the right services to the right people at the right time, far too many vulnerable individuals will be warehoused in American prisons and jails," said Emmet.
"Implementation of these recommendations will ensure that people receive the help they need in the communities where they belong."
The Campaign for Mental Health Reform continues to promote solutions to end the criminalization of people with mental illness and calls on Congress to reverse these statistics by fully realizing the Campaign recommendations.
------The Campaign for Mental Health Reform has been organized as the mental health community's united voice on federal policy.
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