NCJ Number
91699
Journal
Psychological Bulletin Volume: 94 Issue: 1 Dated: (1983) Pages: 54-67
Date Published
1983
Length
14 pages
Annotation
There has been a great deal of speculation that mentally ill persons who would previously have been treated within mental hospitals are now processed through the criminal justice system and constitute an ever-increasing proportion of the jail population. This article critically examines the empirical evidence relevant to this thesis.
Abstract
Three types of research are explored: archival studies, investigations of police decision making, and studies of the prevalence of mental disorder among jail detainees. It is concluded that the research literature, albeit methodologically flawed, offers at least modest support for the contention that the mentally ill are being processed through the criminal justice system. Directions for future research are suggested. (Publisher abstract)