This document discusses mental illness and the criminal justice system. It provides background on the history of how mental illness was treated, noting that until the mid-1900s there was little medical attention given to the mentally ill. It then explains that today around 15-24% of prisoners and jail inmates meet the criteria for a psychotic disorder. However, prisons are often ill-equipped to properly treat mental illness, and inmates with mental illness face higher risks of solitary confinement, assault, suicide or self-harm. The document concludes by noting that states that have expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act have seen reduced crime and incarceration rates as more mentally ill individuals can access free treatment services.

1. MENTAL ILLNESS AND
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
BY
ERIC M. ADAMS

2. MENTAL ILLNESS AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
• I. Introduction
• II. History
• III. Mentally Illness and the Criminal Justice System
• IV. Broward County First Mental Health Court Opened
• V. Current Mental Health Industry and Incarceration
• VI. States that leave the most mentally ill patrons untreated and jailed
• VII. Map of the U.S. states with mental health insurance
• VII. Conclusion

3. INTRODUCTION: MENTAL ILLNESS AND CRIME
• The State of Florida public mental health industry failed to establish effective and
efficient public policy, procedures and funding for the treatment, care, custody and
control of individuals diagnosed with mental illness. Currently, public policies and the
lack of funding established this dilemma that caused numerous mentally ill patrons to
look after and provide treatment for oneself, without any help from professional mental
health personnel. Accompanying this consequence, arise associated social predicaments
such as homelessness, crime related to the illness, inappropriate hospitalization and
treatment, incarceration long-stays, erratic behavior, and suicide (Baker, 1998).
Furthermore, this research paper analyzes urbanization, population, and immigration
growth that effected the breakdown in public mental health care in Florida. Revised
public policy and budgeting reform influenced by local, state, and federal agencies would
execute the means needed to enhance the mental health industry facilitate appropriate
care in which will reduce unjust incarceration and minimize personal suffering of the
mentally ill individuals in Florida. This power point explores mental health industry local,
state, and national relation to homelessness, crime, and incarceration phenomenon.

4. HISTORY: MENTAL ILLNESS
• The Mayo Clinic defines mental illness as a wide range of mental health conditions that affect mood,
thinking and behavior, but this description looks at mental illness through a modern lens. Research
on the treatment of mentally ill prisoners in the American past must acknowledge, at the outset, that
there was no medical attention to the mentally ill till the mid-1900s, and even then it was scarce.

5. MENTAL ILLNESS AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Because of this sparse empirical foundation, a number of conceptual problems
persist in defining exactly what is meant by jail diversion services for persons
with mental illness. Jail diversion as a service concept appears deceptively simple.
Problems arise particularly in differentiating jail diversion from routine crisis services
or from jail release planning for community mental health services.

6. THE FIRST MENTAL HEALTH COURT OPENED IN
BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA

7. CURRENT: MENTAL ILLNESS AND INCARCERATION
• According to the Department of Justice, about 15 percent of state prisoners and
24 percent of jail inmates report symptoms meet the criteria for a psychotic
disorder.
• Unsurprisingly, many prisons are poorly equipped to properly deal with mental
illness. Inmates with mental illnesses are more likely than other to be held in
solitary confinement, and many are raped, commit suicide, or hurt themselves.
• The jail and prison mental health staff are not capable of rendering effective
treatment because the workload supersedes jail resources. (The American Mental
Health Counselors Association)

8. STATES THAT LEAVE THE MOST MENTALLY ILL
PATRONS UNTREATED AND WHY.
• Uninsured, low-income Americans in the east, mid-Atlantic and Pacific are
receiving Obamacare Medicaid expansion with which includes comprehensive
mental health care for adults and children 100% paid by the government. (The
American Mental Health Counselors Association).
• Those states in the south and central U.S. are not receiving Obamacare result in
nearly 568,000 uninsured diagnosed with serious mental health condition who
because of lack of treatment leads to jails, prisons, homeless, hospitalizations,
suicides, more suffering for their families. (The American Mental Health
Counselors Associations)

9. MENTAL HEALTH CARE TREATMENT

10. CONCLUSION
• Untreated Mental Illness goes further than the individual suffering from incarceration
and the criminal justice system, but includes fail out of school, lose of jobs, homeless,
crime, negative impact of their children and suicides.
• Medicaid funds allowed an estimated 350,000 people classified mentally ill received
FREE treatment for their conditions, including prescription drugs, regular health visits
in 26 states and DC (The American Mental Health Counselors Association)
• Insured States crime statistic dropped and the jail and prison population reduced
significantly according to the study.
• However, opposing groups view the problem should be handled at the state level as
well as funding.