Announcement for 05/14/10
Experts Call for Immediate Reinstatement of Federal Benefits for People with Serious Mental Illnesses Leaving Prisons
Washington, DC - In a congressional briefing held on May 12, 2010, "criminal justice experts cited the need for legislation to require timely reinstatement of federal benefits for people with mental illnesses upon their release from jails and prisons.
"The most recent data show that in 2007 over two million of the 13 million new jail admissions were people with serious mental illnesses, or 35,000 people a week. Yet, nationally, only one third of inmates with mental illnesses receive discharge-planning services, including help with accessing public mental health treatment. As a result, a majority of former inmates with mental illnesses return to jails and prisons, delaying their recovery and, in many cases,making ineffective use of public safety dollars.
"Panelists explained that the immediate reinstatement of federal health and social service benefits could help break this cycle of recidivism that plagues systems working with people with serious mental illnesses."
Please visit the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law website for additional information about the briefing.