Mentally disordered women in jail: who receives services?

Many jail inmates have severe psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, major affective disorders). The courts have mandated that detainees have a constitutional right to treatment. We investigated what proportion of female jail detainees needed mental health services, what proportion received services, and what variables predicted who received services.

Trained interviewers administered a psychiatric evaluation (the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule) to 1272 randomly selected female jail detainees during jail intake in a large Midwestern city. Project staff then documented whether women subsequently received services, using records and case files.

Of the women who needed services, 23.5% received them while they were in jail. Type of disorder, treatment history, and socio-demographic variables all affected the odds of a mentally ill woman's receiving services.

Correctional health care is a growing national public health problem. The magnitude of mental health service needs far exceeds current resources.