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| Report Offers Key To Successful Transition From Jail To Community For Mentally Ill |
| By Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law |
| Published: 07/17/2002 |
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A report by the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Finding the Key to Successful Transition from Jail to Community, examines why many people with serious mental illnesses cycle in and out of criminal justice facilities and discusses how state and local officials can reduce this type of recidivism. As many as 16 percent of all jail inmates have a severe mental illness, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Many were arrested for reasons related to their unmet needs for mental health or addiction treatment and for housing, the report points out, and are likely to be rearrested soon after their release if these needs remain unmet. The 12-page booklet explains how criminal justice officials and mental health program staff can assist jail inmates in qualifying for the federal Medicaid and disability benefits that will enable them to meet these needs. 'Whether because relevant federal rules are not well understood or because state implementation of them is problematic,' the introduction notes, 'many people with severe mental illnesses unnecessarily lose their federal entitlements while in jail. Others who could qualify do not apply because they lack timely assistance from jail personnel or community mental health providers to file an application.' The Bazelon Center report describes the federal programs' complex and interrelated rules and suggests policy options for states and localities to use them more effectively. For a copy of Finding the Key, go to www.bazelon.org. |
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