Co-occurring Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders Within a Countywide System: Who Interfaces With the Jail and Who Does Not?

• NCJ Number: 235490
• Journal: Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 50 Issue: 1-4 Dated: January 2011 Pages: 1-17
• Author(s): Sheryl Pimlott Kubiaka; Lynnette Essenmacher; Julie Hanna; April Zeoli
• Date Published: 2011
• Length: 17 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article examines co-occurring substance use disorders and the increased risk of incarceration for those with a serious mental illness.

Abstract

The presence of a co-occurring substance use disorder increases the risk of incarceration for those with a serious mental illness. To examine the interface between jail and mental health systems, a sample of 1,440 individuals diagnosed with both disorders was followed for 48 months using administrative data. The majority (63 percent) experienced incarceration with a median length of stay of 14 days. Predictors of incarceration were a more severe substance use diagnosis and younger age. These findings inform community-wide discussions aimed at enhancing coordination and collaboration between systems with the specific goal of decreasing the high prevalence of jail interface for this population. (Published Abstract)