Forensic mental health services provided by mental health organizations, United States, 1985.

Abstract

Results from the 1985 NIMH Inventory show that 1,339 (43 percent) of the 3,118 mental health organizations surveyed provided mental health services to mentally disordered adult offenders. Almost three-fifths of these forensic services were in multiservice mental health organizations, 23 percent were in freestanding psychiatric outpatient clinics, 14 percent in State mental hospitals, 4 percent in private psychiatric hospitals, and less than 2 percent in residential treatment centers for emotionally disturbed children and freestanding psychiatric partial care organizations. About two-thirds of the 289 State mental hospitals provided forensic services; 55 percent of the 1,383 multiservice mental health organizations and 40 percent of the 756 freestanding psychiatric outpatient clinics offered these services. Psychiatric assessment was the forensic service provided by the largest number of mental health organizations. This was followed, in order, by consultation to law enforcement staff and attorneys, psychiatric outpatient care, monitoring of medication, emergency mental health care, inpatient/residential care, partial care, and emergency detention. About 200,000 mentally disordered offenders received psychiatric assessment services from mental health organizations; slightly over 100,000 were provided psychiatric outpatient care, and smaller numbers of clients received other types of forensic services. A total of 14,538 full-time equivalent (FTE) patient care staff were involved in the delivery of forensic services. In addition, State mental hospitals reported 4,525 FTE administrative and support staff serving forensic patients. Special funding for forensic services, totaling $639 million, was received by just over half of the mental health organizations with these services. About four-fifths of this funding came from State mental health agencies, with the remainder provided by sources such as State correctional agencies, State courts or other State sources, city/county jails, city/county courts, and other local public sources.