Report: 16 percent of state prison inmates mentally ill

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- About 16 percent of all inmates in state adult correctional facilities are identified as mentally ill, according to a new Justice Department report, which also found that 79 percent of such prisoners were receiving therapy or counseling.

Overall, 89 percent of state prisons provide mental health services for all inmates.

One in every eight state prisoners was receiving some type of mental health therapy, according to the report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Mental Health Treatment in State Prisons." About 60 percent of those diagnosed as mentally ill were receiving psychotropic medications, which include anti-depressants, stimulants, sedatives and tranquilizers.

The percentage of inmates receiving treatment for mental health was higher in female prisons. One in four female prisoners was in therapy, and one in five was on medication.

Nearly 70 percent of the state adult correctional facilities reported that they screen inmates at intake, 65 percent conduct psychiatric assessments, 51 percent provide 24-hour mental health care, 71 percent provide therapy and/or counseling by trained mental health professionals, 73 percent distribute psychotropic medications. and 66 percent help released prisoners obtain community mental health services.

Only 12 state facilities were primarily for mental health or psychiatric confinement, and an additional 143 state institutions reported that they specialized in mental health treatment. Only about 10 percent of mentally ill inmates were housed in a 24-hour mental health unit. Approximately two-thirds of all state inmates who were in therapy or receiving medications were in facilities that did not specialize in mental health services. All of these facilities said they were operating at 100 percent capacity.

One in 10 inmates was taking psychotropic medication. The states with the highest percentage of inmates receiving psychotropic medications were Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nebraska and Oregon, which reported a 20 percent rate for their prisoners. At least one in four inmates in Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska and Wyoming were in mental health therapy or counseling programs.

Only North Dakota, Rhode Island and Wyoming had no special psychiatric facilities. These states placed prisoners who needed to be segregated in state hospitals, prison infirmaries or in special-needs units within their facilities.

The report reflects data compiled as of June 30, 2000, and was based on the census of prisons. Locally operated jails and federal facilities were excluded.