Abstract
BackgroundIncarceration rates for people with serious mental illnesses are higher than the general population. However, research has been limited in regards to patterns of incarcerations for patients treated in public mental health settings. This study examines differences in lifetime imprisonment rates among patients of a U.S. urban Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) and national samples, within gender, race and education subgroups.FindingsParticipants were interviewed about their criminal history. Analyses compared lifetime incarceration history in this sample to a group with similar demographics. A majority (69.6%) of the sample had been incarcerated and 34.0% had been incarcerated with a felony charge as compared with 2.7% expected for the control sample.ConclusionWithin every racial and educational subgroup, incarceration rates were high compared to the general population. Though racial and educational factors partly explained added incarceration risk, presence of a serious mental disorder heightened the incarceration risk within all strata in this public sector setting.
Highlights
Incarceration rates for people with serious mental illnesses are higher than the general population
Within every racial and educational subgroup, incarceration rates were high compared to the general population
Approximately 1 million arrests in the United States involve a person with a Serious Mental Illness (SMI) (Fisher et al, 2011)
Summary
Patients participating in a trial of medical care management were recruited from an urban CMHC serving the poor and uninsured in metro Atlanta (Druss et al, 2010). The participants were asked about their involvement in the CJS. They were asked to report any incarceration history and past offenses. Participants were not asked to distinguish between jail detention and prison. In order to approximate rates of incarceration in a prison (i.e., imprisonment), we created a new Anderson et al Health and Justice (2015) 3:4 variable, “likely in prison”. Persons who self-reported past incarceration as an adult and a felony charge were grouped into this variable. “Likely in prison” could be comparable to the variable used in Western and Pettit (2009) of “imprisonment”
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
