Today's Jails : mental health

The Mentally Ill in Jail: Whose Problem is it Anyway?

Sandy Schilling — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:47:00 GMT

The National Institute of Corrections will host a live three-hour satellite videoconference, The Mentally Ill in Jail: Whose Problem is it Anyway?, on July 15, 2009. See the flyer, read more, and complete the free registration. Mental health issues affect the entire community and anyone interested in this topic is welcome to participate.

Can You Use a Free Screening Tool for Mental Illness?

Sandy Schilling — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 16:02:00 GMT

Back in May, 2007, I wrote a blog: How Do You Identify the Mentally Ill in Your Jail?, that included information on the Brief Jail Mental Health Screen (BJMHS) and the gender specific Correctional Mental Health Screen (CMHS). A new NIJ-funded report, Developing and Validating a Brief Jail Mental Health Screen for Women, has been recently released. The research in this report validates the BJMHS as a reliable screening tool to identify both male and female inmates who are in need of further mental health assessment. The BJMHS is available at no cost and can be administered in 2-3 minutes. The free download of the screen and instructions are available from the National GAINS Center.

How Do You Identify the Mentally Ill in Your Jail?

Sandy Schilling — Thu, 31 May 2007 18:09:00 GMT

The National Institute of Justice has released a new publication, "Mental Health Screens for Corrections", which includes the Brief Jail Mental Health Screen (BJMHS) and the gender specific Correctional Mental Health Screen (CMHS). These screens can be completed in less than five minutes and quickly identify the need to refer an inmate for further evaluation. This gives the jail another tool to meet legal and ethical standards in mental health care and having these screens available at no cost is an additional benefit.

Nominate Your Jail Transition Program

Sandy Schilling — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 18:26:00 GMT

The National Association of Counties (NACo) is seeking model jail transition programs for inmates being released with co-occurring disorders. "Selected models will then be featured in a promising practices publication, which will serve as a resource for communities across the country." The criteria they are looking for in your program include:

Collaboration
- Collaborative/individual case management
- Information sharing
Access to Benefits Component

Pre-release

Sustainability

Performance measures

Cultural/Gender Considerations
Community Linkages
- Family reunification, access to housing, employment, transportation, aftercare, and follow-up

Make your nomination to NACo by November 30th, 2006.

Is the number of mentally ill growing in your prison or jail?

Sandy Schilling — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 15:32:00 GMT

On today's broadcast of National Public Radio's Morning Edition (September 19, 2006), "Mental Health Problems Common in Prisons," Arthur Wallenstein, Director, Montgomery County Department of Correction & Rehabilitation and NIC Large Jail Network member discusses the trend of mentally ill offenders being held in prisons and jails. Art points out that this is the "single most discussed topic at correctional meetings." This segment also contains information about the recently released Bureau of Justice Statistics Report, "Mental Health Problems of Prison and Jail Inmates," which showed, "At midyear 2005 more than half of all prison and jail inmates had a mental health problem." In the segment, the BJS statistician gives some possible reasons why there was such a large increase in the number of mentally ill offenders (now approximately 50% of those incarcerated), compared to BJS's earlier (1999) report, which showed mental illness rates of approximately 16%. The problem of mentally ill offenders in our prisons and jails will continue to be one of the most important issues facing today's administrators.