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Article: Jails Used as Holding Wards For Mentally Ill, Study Finds; Experts Cite Declining Network of Psychiatric Services
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- September 10, 1992
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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The nation's jails are becoming holding pens for the mentally
ill, according to a study released yesterday by the Public Health
Research Group and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
Based on a survey of 1,391 jails around the country, the report
estimated that about 30,000 seriously mentally ill persons are
imprisoned in jails, where the causes of their illness often go
untreated and where they face high incidence of physical abuse and
rape. The study found that many of the mentally ill were being held
on minor misdemeanor charges and that 29 percent of them are not
charged at all but are jailed because no psychiatric facilities are
available to take them.
The evidence collected ...