Major Mental Illness as a Risk Factor for Incarceration.

Area of Science:

• Forensic Psychiatry
• Mental Health Services Research
• Criminal Justice Studies

Background:

• Serious mental illness (SMI) is prevalent in correctional facilities.
• Understanding SMI's role in early criminal justice involvement is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of major mental illness among arrestees in New York State.
• To assess if individuals with major mental illness face disproportionate incarceration rates.

Main Methods:

• Matched 600,000 New York State arrestees (2010-2013) with public mental health records.
• Identified defendants diagnosed with major mental illness within 12 months prior to arrest.

Main Results:

• 4-6% of arrestees had a major mental illness diagnosis in the prior year.
• Major mental illness diagnosis increased odds of jail sentence by >50% for misdemeanor arrestees.
• Diagnosis did not affect prison sentence likelihood for felonies but moderated other factors.

Conclusions:

• Differential adjudication of misdemeanor arrestees with major mental illness contributes to jail overrepresentation.
• Future research should explore the impact of poverty and pretrial detention.