An Examination of Reentry and Recidivism Rates for Jail Inmates with Mental Health Diagnoses

• In Event: Reentry and Recidivism

Abstract

Research suggests that mentally ill persons have a 67% greater chance of being arrested than those who do not suffer from a mental illness. As a result, correctional facilities in the United States have become the primary mental health institutions. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the problem of mental illness in the incarcerated population of a county jail in a Midwestern state. In the year 2014, it was responsible for housing roughly 15,000 individuals including males and females, pretrial, sentenced individuals, and federal detainees. Due to the volume of individuals that come through the facility annually, it is imperative that those individuals with mental health conditions are properly identified, diagnosed, and treated during the time in the facility to minimize misconduct while confined and to aid in the successful reentry of these individuals into the community. This paper relies on data collected from the jail’s mental health professionals for the year of 2014 through March of 2015 in addition to using data that track reentry and recidivism of inmates identified as having a mental health diagnosis for this same time period. Findings will be discussed in terms of policy implications for jail populations.

Authors

• Julie Garman, University of Nebraska at Omaha

• Mark Foxall, Douglas County Department of Corrections

• Lisa Sample, University of Nebraska at Omaha