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Economics of decriminalizing mental illness: when doing the right thing costs less

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 January 2020

Darci Delgado Open the ORCID record for Darci Delgado [Opens in a new window] ,
Ashley Breth ,
Shelley Hill ,
Katherine Warburton Open the ORCID record for Katherine Warburton [Opens in a new window]  and
Stephen M. Stahl
Darci Delgado*
Affiliation:
California Department of State Hospitals, Sacramento, California, USA
Ashley Breth
Affiliation:
California Department of State Hospitals, Sacramento, California, USA
Shelley Hill
Affiliation:
California Department of State Hospitals, Sacramento, California, USA University of California, Davis, California, USA
Katherine Warburton
Affiliation:
California Department of State Hospitals, Sacramento, California, USA University of California, Davis, California, USA
Stephen M. Stahl
Affiliation:
California Department of State Hospitals, Sacramento, California, USA University of California, San Diego, California, USA
*
*Author for correspondence: Darci Delgado (Email: darci.delgado@dsh.ca.gov)
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Abstract

The United States’ criminal justice system has seen exponential growth in costs related to the incarceration of persons with mental illness. Jails, prisons, and state hospitals’ resources are insufficient to adequately treat the sheer number of individuals cycling through their system. Reversing the cycle of criminalization of mental illness is a complicated process, but mental health diversion programs across the nation are uniquely positioned to do just that. Not only are these programs providing humane treatment to individuals within the community and breaking the cycle of recidivism, the potential fiscal savings are over 1 billion dollars.

Keywords

economicsdiversionmental healthforensictreatment.
Type
Perspectives
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 25 , Issue 5 , October 2020 , pp. 566 - 570
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2020

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Footnotes

The findings and conclusions in “Economics of decriminalizing mental illness: when doing the right thing costs less” are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the California Department of State Hospitals or the California Health and Human Services Agency.

References

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