Forensic Mental Health Screening and Evaluation in Jails

• NCJ Number: 79774
• Author(s): J Zimmerman; I Keilitz; W L Fitch; T B Marvell; M E Holmstrup
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 92 pages
• Grant Number(s): 79-NI-AX-0070
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: National Ctr for State Courts
• Sale Source: National Ctr for State Courts; National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Perspectives on Mental Health and the Law, Occasional Paper Number 3.

Annotation

As part of NIJ's National Evaluation Program, the National Center for State Courts produced this report after a preliminary assessment of forensic mental health services in 20 jails in 17 States. Summary descriptions of the programs in four of these jails are provided.

Abstract

The research team from the National Center for State Courts found that the mental health screening and evaluation services in jails differ in organization and operation and that relationships and alliances formed by the mental health and criminal justice components depend upon a variety of factors. These can include the nature and severity of the offense and the offender's supposed mental condition, budget arrangements, offender's financial means, and other factors. Mental health services might be provided exclusively by jail staff, in a separate unit, or in alliance with another jail. Some jails make arrangements with external service contractors for mental health services or use a combination of external and internal services. Sets of standards for mental health screening and evaluation of inmates have been developed by several organizations to guide program staffs. Profiles of four programs operating across the country illustrate the nature of the services. The programs incude the Psychiatric Services of the Cook County Correctional Complex in Chicago, the Mental Health Diagnostic Services for Jail Inmates in Nashville, Tenn., the Pierce County Jail Social Services and Central Intake Unit in Tacoma, Wash., and the Wyandotte County Pretrial Services Project in Kansas City, Kans. Each description contains a brief history of the jail's mental health services, a summary of the program's goals and objectives, and an illustration of the flow of client-offenders into and through the program. The profiles also discuss how mental health information is delineated by the referral source, acquired by the program staff, and provided to the user. A review of the procedures for feedback, quality control, and program evaluation is included for each program. Forms used for data collection by the four programs are appended, and eight references are provided.