Why are jail diversion programs necessary?
• Every year, about 800,000 people with severe mental illness are incarcerated in our nation’s jails. • Up to 15% of jail inmates have a severe mental illness (compared with 5% in the general population). • More than 4% of men in jail suffer from schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, manic phase. • The largest mental health institutions in our country are also our largest jails (the Los Angeles County jail, Rikers Island jail, Cook County jail, etc.) People with mental illness fare poorly in our criminal justice system. People with mental illness: • Are more likely to be arrested than persons who aren’t mentally ill. In one study, 47% of people with mental illness were arrested following encounters with the police, compared with just 26% of people without mental illness. • Serve longer sentences in jail, spending two to five times longer in jail, and average 15 months more in prison, than offenders without mental illness convicted of the same crimes. • Face more serious charges than other
