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- Title
Mentally Disordered Women in Jail: Who Receives Services?
- Authors
Teplin, Linda A.; Abram, Karen M.; McClelland, Gary M.
- Abstract
Objectives. Many jail inmates have severe psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, major affective disorders). The courts have mandated that detainees have a constitutional right to treatment. We investigated what proportion of female jail detainees needed mental health services, what proportion received services, and what variables predicted who received services. Methods. Trained interviewers administered a psychiatric evaluation (the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule) to 1272 randomly selected female jail detainees during jail intake in a large Midwestern city. Project staff then documented whether women subsequently received services, using records and case files. Results. Of the women who needed services, 23.5% received them while they were in jail. Type of disorder, treatment history, and socio-demographic variables all affected the odds of a mentally ill woman's receiving services. Conclusions. Correctional health care is a growing national public health problem. The magnitude of mental health service needs far exceeds current resources.
- Subjects
MIDWEST (U.S.); MENTAL health services; WOMEN with intellectual disabilities; WOMEN prisoners; MENTAL illness treatment; CARE of people; PEOPLE with mental illness
- Publication
American Journal of Public Health, 1997, Vol 87, Issue 4, p604
- ISSN
0090-0036
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2105/AJPH.87.4.604