Abstract
BackgroundIndividuals with mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders often rapidly cycle through the justice system with multiple arrests. Therefore, is it imperative to examine the prevalence of mental health and substance use diagnoses among arrestees and repeat arrestees to identify opportunities for intervention.MethodsWe linked police arrest and clinical care data at the individual level to conduct a retrospective cohort study of all individuals arrested in 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. We classified arrestees into three levels: 1 arrest, 2 arrests, or 3 or more arrests. We included data on clinical diagnoses between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2015 and classified mental health diagnoses and substance use disorder (SUD) based on DSM categories using ICD9/10 diagnoses codes.ResultsOf those arrested in 2016, 18,236 (79.5%) were arrested once, 3167 (13.8%) were arrested twice, and 1536 (6.7%) were arrested three or more times. In the 2 years before the arrest, nearly one-third (31.3%) of arrestees had a mental health diagnosis, and over a quarter (27.7%) of arrestees had an SUD diagnosis. Most of those with a mental health or SUD diagnosis had both (22.5% of all arrestees). Arrestees with multiple mental health (OR 2.68, 95% CI 2.23, 3.23), SUD diagnoses (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.38, 1,82), or co-occurring conditions (1.72, 95% CI 1.48, 2.01) in the preceding 2 years had higher odds of repeat arrest.ConclusionsOur findings show that linked clinical and criminal justice data systems identify individuals at risk of repeat arrest and inform opportunities for interventions aimed at low-level offenders with behavioral health needs.
Highlights
Individuals with mental illness are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system
Arrest data were obtained in collaboration with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), which services the majority of Marion County
White individuals were more likely to have a mental health or substance use disorder (SUD) diagnosis compared to Black individuals
Summary
Individuals with mental illness are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. Given the limited samples used in prior studies, the true prevalence of mental illness and SUD among repeat arrestees is unknown (Bailey et al, 2018). This is problematic as repeat arrestees are typically presumed to be living with a mental illness (Akins et al, 2016). Individuals with mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders often rapidly cycle through the justice system with multiple arrests. Is it imperative to examine the prevalence of mental health and substance use diagnoses among arrestees and repeat arrestees to identify opportunities for intervention
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