Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders by Demographics in Jail Populations

Many individuals incarcerated in jails suffer from psychiatric disorders and require mental health treatment. However, there has yet to be a study which comprehensively described the prevalence of mental illness diagnoses by demographic variables or compared results to the general population. Data for this study were the Survey of Inmates in Local Jails, 2002. Binary logistic regression was run to compare the prevalence of diagnoses to demographic variables of the jail population. Results were compared to studies in the general population. Males were less likely than females to report five of the seven disorder categories, and employed individuals were less likely to report all seven disorders. The results were consistent with research on the general population. It is important to understand the population of individuals with mental illness in jail so we can better serve them and catch psychiatric disorders early while they are more easily treatable.