Title

Community mental health services and the prevalence of severe mental illness in local jails: are they related

UMMS Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry

Publication Date

11-15-2000

Document Type

Article

Subjects

Adult; Bipolar Disorder; Community Mental Health Services; Deinstitutionalization; Depressive Disorder; Humans; Male; Massachusetts; Mentally Disabled Persons; Prevalence; Prisoners; Prisons; Privatization; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Schizophrenia

Disciplines

Health Services Research | Mental and Social Health | Psychiatric and Mental Health | Psychiatry | Psychiatry and Psychology

Abstract

The excessive prevalence of severe mental illness noted in correctional settings has sometimes been attributed to the inadequacy of community based mental health services. This study examines the prevalence of severe mental illness in two jails situated within catchment areas featuring markedly different levels of community mental health services. We use these settings to test the hypothesis that greater levels of services in a community are associated with lower prevalence of severe mental illness in the community's jail. An epidemiologic approach, using standardized field instruments, was used to estimate the prevalence of major mental illness in detainees arriving at the two sites over a 6-month period. The hypothesis that greater levels of mental health resources in a community would be associated with lower prevalence of mental illness in the community's jail was not supported. These findings suggest that community-based mental health services by themselves do not affect the prevalence of mental illness in jail.

Rights and Permissions

Citation: Adm Policy Ment Health. 2000 Jul;27(6):371-82.

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Administration and policy in mental health

Related Resources

Link to Article in PubMed

PubMed ID

11077701

Link to Full Text

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