Industry Resources | May 6, 2020
The Urgency Of Reducing The Jail Population During The COVID-19 Crisis
By Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
The Bazelon Center urges all jurisdictions to:
- Immediately release a majority of the individuals with mental illness held in jails, and
- Take immediate steps to divert from jail the majority of individuals with mental illness who are arrested.
Some emergency funding is available to support these efforts. In addition, Medicaid funding is available for services, especially in Medicaid expansion states.
The U.S. incarcerates more people per capita than any other nation, and these individuals are disproportionally people of color. The current health crisis makes . . .