Citation

Appel O, Stephens D, Shadravan SM, Key J, Ochoa K. Psychiatr. Serv. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles (Appel, Stephens, Shadravan, Ochoa); Office of Diversion and Reentry, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Los Angeles (Appel, Stephens, Ochoa); Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles (Key).

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, American Psychiatric Association)

DOI

10.1176/appi.ps.201900429

PMID

32340592

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed race-ethnicity and arrest charge data from the Los Angeles (LA) County jail mental health (JMH) population to examine disparities by race and ethnicity.

METHODS: Data from the LA County Sheriff's Department for all persons in the JMH population on February 14, 2019 (N=5,134), and for the overall LA County jail population (N=16,975) were compared with chi-square tests (p≤0.05 for binary measures and Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons).

RESULTS: The JMH sample had a significantly larger proportion of black (41% versus 30%) and white (19% versus 15%) persons and a smaller proportion of Hispanic persons (35% versus 52%), compared with the overall jail population (p<0.001). A significantly smaller proportion of the JMH sample was charged with a felony (80% versus 91%, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Resources should be invested in prioritizing jail diversion of black individuals with mental illness and addressing the incarceration of persons with mental disorders charged with misdemeanors.

Language: en

Keywords

Homeless mentally ill; Law and psychiatry