HELP US END MASS INCARCERATION
The Prison Policy Initiative uses research, advocacy, and organizing to dismantle mass incarceration. We’ve been in this movement for 23 years, thanks to individual donors like you.
Can you help us sustain this work?
Thank you,
Peter Wagner, Executive Director Donate
Can you help us sustain this work?
Thank you,
Peter Wagner, Executive Director Donate
Mental health
Policy and practice of mental health
- Involuntary commitment in the justice system (Created: 2025)
- All types of mental health conditions are increasingly common behind bars (Created: 2024)
- Homelessness, mental illness, substance use disorders, and criminalization are deeply connected problems that housing can help with (Created: 2023)
- Many people under community supervision with mental health or substance use disorders can't access treatment (Created: 2023)
- People on probation and parole report higher rates of mental health and substance use disorders (Created: 2023)
- Women in state prisons report being diagnosed with mental health problems at much higher rates than men (Created: 2022)
- In state prisons, women of all races and ethnicities are more likely than men to have any mental health diagnosis (Created: 2022)
- Over half of people in state prisons report mental health problems, but only 1 in 4 has received professional help in prison (Created: 2022)
- Incarcerated people suffer disproportionately with serious mental illnesses compared to the overall U.S. population (Created: 2022)
- Jail suicide rates: Out of step with the nation (and U.S. prisons) (Created: 2022)
- People with incarcerated family members are less likely to report good physical and mental health than those with no family history of incarceration (Created: 2021)
- Suicide rates have always been higher inside prisons, and the gap is widening (Created: 2021)
- Rates of mental illness and substance use disorders are much higher among "frequent utilizers" of jails (Created: 2019)
- People with multiple arrests have serious health needs (Created: 2019)
- People in jail are five times more likely than the general population to have a serious mental illness (Created: 2019)
- Percentage of people in prisons and jails experiencing “serious psychological distress” in past 30 days. (Created: 2017)
- Incarcerated women more likely than men to have history of mental health problems (Created: 2017)
- Women much more likely than men to experience "serious psychological distress" while incarcerated (Created: 2017)
- Pennsylvania's Institutional Populations 1982-2003 (Created: 2003)
Events
- April 30, 2025:
On Wednesday, April 30th, at noon Eastern, Communications Strategist Wanda Bertram will take part in a panel discussion with The Center for Just Journalism on the 100th day of the second Trump administration. They’ll discuss the impacts the administration has had on criminal legal policy and issues that have flown under the radar. Register here.
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Invite us to your city, college or organization.