Mentally ill people in United States jails and prisons
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People with mental illnesses are over-represented in jail and prison populations in the United States relative to the general population.[1][2][3]
There are three times as many mentally ill people in jails and prisons than in hospitals in the United States.[1] Mentally ill people are subjected to solitary confinement at disproportionate rates compared to the general prison population.[4][5][6] There are a number of reasons for this over-representation of mentally ill people in jails and prisons, including the de-institutionalization of mentally ill individuals in the mid-twentieth century, inadequate community treatment resources, and the criminalization of mental illness itself. Research has shown that that mentally ill offenders have comparable rates of recidivism to non-mentally ill offenders.[7]
The United States Supreme Court has upheld the right of inmates to mental health treatment.[8][9] The majority of prisons in the United States attempt to employ a mental health providers,[10] however, there is a severe shortage of staff to fill these vacancies and it is difficult to retain employees.[11]