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Abstract: 

In a report released in 2003, Human Rights Watch found that prisoners with mental illness are not only likely to be exploited by other prisoners, but to be punished by prison staff for such symptoms as being noisy, refusing orders, or even self-mutilating and attempting suicide. People with mental illness are more likely than other inmates to end up in segregation, under conditions that can exacerbate their underlying mental illness and push them into psychosis. Relatedly, this article contains Congressional findings in the “Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2004,” a statute enacted in the recently concluded session. As importantly, Congress found that treatment works and can reduce the number of people in adult and juvenile correctional facilities, while providing improved public safety.

Keywords: prisoners with mental illness; Congressional findings; “Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2004; planning and implementation grants

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