[Correspondence] Mass incarceration and severe mental illness in the USA

In their Series paper, Christopher Wildeman and Emily Wang (April 8, p 1464)1 described the harms associated with mass incarceration in the USA. The authors noted that deinstitutionalisation of mental health had “undoubtedly helped to both launch mass incarceration and keep it going”. The problem of reduced psychiatric bed availability is not just historical. US states continue to close the only publicly funded beds available to the poorest Americans with serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
Source: LANCET - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research