There are now about 1.4 million adults incarcerated in federal prisons and jails. About twice this many people are on parole. Prison and jail mental health statistics show that about half of all inmates have mental health problems, with about 15% considered severe. Serious mental disorders include bipolar, schizophrenia, psychotic and delusional disorders. Health care advocates say many of these people are in prison because there are not enough mental hospitals available for treatment. They say that since the mental health industry began deinstitutionalizing patients many years ago, our mentally ill have few places to go for treatment and many get into trouble with the law.
Mental health advocates claim that many inmates in jail today could conceivably be patients in mental hospitals if this option still existed. They claim many of these patient/inmates are caught in a “revolving door,” repeatedly entering and exiting overcrowded hospitals, jails and the community. The Coronavirus epidemic, running rampant in cellblocks, has also spread among our prison population. Of the roughly 123,000 federal inmates, 1,600 have tested positive for the virus and 130 have died. Many have been released from custody to safer abodes.
Pending Legislation: H.R.3860 - Humane Correctional Health Care Act
Sponsor: Rep. Ann Kuster (NH)
Status: House Subcommittee on Health (Energy and Commerce)
Chair: Brett Guthrie (KY)
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