(Reuters Health) - Every year, an estimated 2 million people diagnosed with mental illness are jailed in the U.S., and soon after they’re released, many wind up behind bars again.
But specialized supervision on probation for people with mental illness can radically reduce the odds they’ll be re-arrested within five years, a new study suggests.
Those who were supervised on specialty probation were nearly three times less likely to return to jail within two years after their release than those on regular probation, researchers reported in JAMA Psychiatry.
Positive support appears to be key, with specialty probation officers acting as part counselor and part cop, said lead author Jennifer Skeem, professor of social welfare and public policy at the University of California at Berkeley.
“It’s about good, caring relationships with a professional. They seem to have that with specialty officers,” she said in a phone interview.
“The rules are clear. There’s fairness, there’s firmness in implementing the rules and then caring. It helps keep people out of trouble with the law,” she said.
Under specialty mental health probation, officers have smaller caseloads and training in mental illness. They coordinate probationers’ treatment and collaborate with treatment providers to keep them out of jail.
Skeem, a clinical psychologist, and her team analyzed data for ethnically diverse men and women from two urban probation agencies, one in Texas using specialty probation, and another in California employing traditional probation. All 359 participants had been diagnosed with mental illness following a psychological evaluation.
The average caseload for specialty probation officers was 50, compared to 100 probationers for traditional officers.
The odds of probationers being arrested after two years were 2.68 times higher for those on traditional probation than for those on specialty probation.
After five years, the probability of re-arrest was 64 percent for traditional probationers, compared to 38 percent for specialty probationers.
Dr. Fred Osher, director of health systems and services policy at The Council of State Governments Justice Center in New York City, called specialty mental health probation “a win-win-win.”
“They’re in the community, they’re getting the support they need, and they’re able to move forward with their own recovery,” he said in a phone interview.
“It’s hard to recover from mental illness if you’re sitting in a jail cell,” said Osher, who was not involved with the study.
The upfront costs for specialty probation are higher, but Skeem said a cost analysis she prepared as part of an as-yet unpublished follow-up study shows that specialty mental health probation saves money over the course of two years. The savings come from the reduced need for emergency room visits and other hospital stays, she said.
The study findings were consistent with less-rigorous studies pointing in the same direction, Osher said.
“It’s research like this that will allow policymakers to consider implementing a program that will have a major impact on people with mental illness in their jails,” he said.
“Even a day or two in jail really messes up a person’s life. You can end up losing your job and housing,” he said. “We want to maximize the use of alternatives to jail if individuals don’t pose a risk.”
SOURCE: bit.ly/2hQDmfU JAMA Psychiatry, online August 9, 2017.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.