News

Local jail officials struggling to provide appropriate health care to inmates increasingly see the benefits of a community-based approach to inmate care. Under this approach, inmates are paired with doctors from the community, who diagnose and treat inmates while they are in jail and continue treating them after they are released. Community-based care leverages the resources of both the jail and the community to provide coordinated, ongoing treatment to inmates and reduce the public health burden.

Few people immediately think of jails as providers of community health. Yet jails are important to the health of their communities, especially to minority and low-income populations.

by Keith Barton

RE "The Cycle for Mentally Ill Homeless Must End" (May 30): I agree with Elmer Smith that jail is not the answer for homeless people with mental illness. But jails can be part of the solution if they work with health-care providers in their community. Many homeless people pass through the jail each year. By linking these inmates with community health centers, which can provide ongoing care, jails can stabilize inmates' health and help ensure that they take their mental health medications. Some evidence suggests that this can reduce recidivism and jail costs.

by Keith Barton

To the Editor: Re “A Second Chance” (editorial, May 20): Most re-entry efforts focus on prison inmates, yet about nine million people cycle annually through our country’s jails. This is roughly 10 times the number who leave prisons. Jail inmates generally return to their communities after short incarcerations, bringing with them a higher incidence of communicable diseases and mental health conditions than exists in the general population.

by Paul Sheehan

Every year, 12 million people pass through our nation’s jails. Local correctional agencies are required to provide health care for these inmates. That’s a tough job. There are always too many inmates, too much illness, not enough staff, and not enough dollars to do the job.