Mental Health in the Correctional System

With the shortage of mental health providers, individuals with mental health illnesses are more likely to encounter law enforcement than clinicians. Due to this, prisons and jails are overcrowded. The rate of mental health illnesses in the prison system is prominent. Mental Health America ([MHA], 2019), states that approximately 1.2 million individuals in the U.S. with a mental illness currently reside in jail or prison. Research shows that these alarming statistics are associated with decreased access to mental health care in the community. In fact six out of ten states with low access to mental health care have the highest incarceration rates in the U.S. These states are Georgia, Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama (MHA, 2019).

Within the prison system, there is not an adequate number of mental health clinicians to care for the millions of individuals with illnesses.  This means that conditions often worsen or deteriorate. After being released from jail, many of these individuals are left homeless and without insurance (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2019). The lack of adequate support causes individuals to once again experience encounters with law enforcement and return to jail. This is known as the revolving door effect. This process with the lack of adequate support both in and out of jail or prison contributes to the current mental health crisis in our country. The U.S. is in dire need of a solution. Telehealth/telepsychiatry is a feasible and alternative option. Learn more at www.globalmentalityinc.com

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