The Los Angeles County corrections system alone houses between 1,500 and 1,700 mentally ill inmates each day, more than any psychiatric hospital in the country. Fewer than 10 percent of jails and prisons have any discharge planning services for inmates with mental illness. Similarly, Mark Fontaine of the Florida Juvenile Justice Association noted that society has moved mentally ill people from one type of institution, mental health facilities, to another, prisons. These offenders need a wide range of services provided by several different agencies, and they do not respond well to traditional substance abuse programs, noted Roger Peters of the University of South Florida. They should be in specialized programs with trained staff who can provide different treatment formats and understand the use of medications and their side effects.
Successful programs require intensive support in the immediate post-prison period.
In Texas, for example, mental health workers go to the prison door and take newly released inmates to their first mental health appointments. Juveniles also have an overwhelming need for specialized services and collaborative treatment, said Fontaine. In a recent Florida survey of juveniles in custody, half had mental illnesses, a third had substance abuse problems, and many others were at risk of developing these and other problems. Instead, resources from all agencies must be integrated. Prisoners also have serious medical concerns that need addressing, Conklin added.