Jail Inmates with Co-Occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Problems: Correlates and Service Needs

• NCJ Number: 229992
• Journal: Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 49 Issue: 2 Dated: February - March 2010 Pages: 126-145
• Author(s): Hung-En Sung; Jeff Mellow; Annette M. Mahoney
• Date Published: February 2010
• Length: 20 pages
• Grant Number(s): CIRG 1408
• Sponsoring Agency: City University of New York
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined factors that correlated with co-occurring problems among a sample of jail inmates, identified services they received while incarcerated, and examined the gap between unmet mental health and addiction treatment needs.

Abstract

The confluence of the deinstitutionalization of people with mental illness and the massive incarceration of drug offenders has dramatically raised the number of substance abusers with mental illness in American jails. This study sought to identify correlates of comorbidity and service gaps among jail inmates using data from the 2002 Survey of Inmates in Local Jails. Results suggest that offenders with comorbidity can be satisfactorily identified according to their past exposure to certain risk factors. One third of the jail population met the comorbidity criteria and 64 percent of them did not receive any treatment or counseling service while incarcerated. Policy implications are discussed. Tables and references (Published Abstract)