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Mental Health Identification Practices of Jails: The Unmet Needs of the “Silent” Population

Source: American Journal of Community Psychology

Resource Type: Documents and Publications

Focus Population: People in Recovery from Substance Use, People with Criminal Justice System Involvement, People with Serious Mental Illness (SMI)

Topics: Criminal or Juvenile Justice System, Recovery from Mental Health or Substance Use Disorders, Suicide Prevention

This study compares the mental health identification practices across 8 jail sites. Results show that individuals identified by staff observation were significantly more likely to receive jail- and community-based services. Rural jails were significantly less likely to identify individuals through staff observation. Lack of identification of this population can have impacts if they go undiagnosed and return to their communities.