NCJ Number
167579
Date Published
1995
Length
86 pages
Annotation
This report examines the current status of mentally ill offenders in the criminal justice system, the changing context of care, the nature of the population, defining the needs of persons with mental illnesses in the criminal justice system, and some programs and services that work.
Abstract
The first chapter provides an overview of the issues. It notes that persons with mental illnesses who come into contact with the criminal justice system bear a double burden: the stigma associated with their mental illness and the stress of potential arrest and confinement. Involvement with the criminal justice system may exacerbate the isolation and distrust often associated with mental illnesses. Another chapter provides a brief history of policy in this area, including discussions of the organization of mental health services in this Nation and changes in the criminal justice system that impact persons who have mental illnesses. The characteristics of persons with mental illnesses who come into contact with the criminal justice system including several subgroups with special needs, are discussed in another chapter. A fourth chapter discusses the needs of persons with mental illnesses at each stage of the criminal justice system, including police contacts, jails, prisons, and probation and parole; it also outlines the responsibilities of and challenges to the criminal justice system at each contact point. The final chapter focuses on the coordination of essential mental health services for persons with mental illnesses in the criminal justice system, including examples of successful programs. 76 references and appended listing of the Center for Mental Health Services Ad Hoc Working Group for the Mental Health and Criminal Justice Systems