Prevalence of Medical and Mental Health Conditions That Warrant Discharge Planning in a Medium-Sized County Jail

Abstract

Incarcerated persons have a high prevalence of medical and mental health conditions. This study involved 83 inmates consecutively released to the local community, each of whom who had spent at least three days in custody. Their medical records were reviewed for the pres-ence of medical or mental health conditions warranting discharge planning as well as documentation of such discharge planning. A total of 39% of these inmates had either a medical condition or a mental health condition, or both. Medical conditions were documented in 28% and mental health conditions in 16% of these inmates. Some documentation of discharge planning was present in 31% of the cases in which the reviewers felt that this activity was warranted. This approach to assessing the local impact of inmates rejoining the community offers advantages over other approaches.

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