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Costs of Mental Health Care Overwhelm Harris County Jail

By Kristin Houle

Today's Houston Chronicle features the following article about the revolving door of severely mentally ill homeless offenders in the Harris County Jail ("Finding escape behind bars," July 21, 2008). Many of these inmates have been arrested on dozens of occasions; many have substance abuse disorders in addition to mental disorders. As the number of these chronic inmates continues to increase, the cost of both incarceration and treatment has soared to $87 million annually. While some organizations have launched new programs aimed at providing support for severely mentally ill homeless people immediately upon their release from jail, the demand for services still far outpaces the limited resources available.Here's the article in full:"At the Harris County Jail, deputies and health care workers have a name for them ? frequent fliers...continue to full post

Full post as published by Prevention Not Punishment on July 21, 2008 (boomark / email).