Supporting Materials
Preventing Re-Arrests
of Mentally Ill Persons Released from Jail
Prepared
by:
Jerry Dincin, Ph.D.
Arthur Lurigio, Ph.D.
John R. Fallon
Roy Clay
Chart 1: One —Year
Results on Jail Days and Arrests
For the first thirty people
who have completed one-year of Thresholds service compared to one-year
before Thresholds.
| |
Jail Days
|
|
Number of Arrests
|
|
Before
|
After
|
Before
|
After
|
|
2741
|
489
|
101
|
49
|
|
TOTAL
|
82.2% Reduction
|
51.5% Reduction
|
Drop From 2741 Jail Days
To 489 Jail Days
Difference 2252 Jail Days @ $70
per day = $157,640 savings.
Chart 2: One —Year
Results on Hospitalizations
For the first thirty people
who have completed one-year of Thresholds service compared to one-year
before Thresholds.
| |
Hospital Days**
|
|
Number of Hospitalizations
|
|
Before
|
After
|
Before
|
After
|
|
2153
|
321
|
23
|
4
|
|
TOTAL
|
85.5% Reduction
|
82.6% Reduction
|
** State hospital days only. Private
hospital data is not available.
Drop From 2153 Hospital Days
To 321 Hospital Days
Difference 1832 Hospital Days @
$500 per day = $916,600 savings
Chart 3: Two —Year
Results on Jail Days and Arrests
For the first thirteen people
who have completed two-years of Thresholds service compared to two-year before
Thresholds.
| |
Jail Days
|
|
Number of Arrests
|
|
Before
|
After
|
Before
|
After
|
|
1546
|
213
|
116
|
13
|
|
TOTAL
|
86.2% Reduction
|
88.8% Reduction
|
Drop From 1546 Jail
Days
To 213 Jail Days
Difference
1333 Jail Days @ $70 per day = $93,310 savings.
Chart 4: Two —Year
Results on Hospitalizations
For the first thirteen people
who have completed two-years of Thresholds service compared to two-year
before Thresholds.
| |
**Hospital Days
|
|
Number of Hospitalizations
|
|
Before
|
After
|
Before
|
After
|
|
900
|
175
|
24
|
6
|
|
TOTAL
|
87% Reduction
|
76% Reduction
|
** State hospital days only. Hospital
data is not available.
Drop From 900 Hospital
Days
To 175 Hospital Days
Difference
725 Hospital Days @ $500 per day = $362,500 savings.
Objective: This study presents
findings from a study designed to reduce the number of jail days, arrests, hospital
days, and incidents of hospitalization among a group of thirty severely mentally
ill persons released form Cook County Jail, the nation’s largest single
site jail.
Method: An Assertive Community
Treatment (ACT) assisted project participants in providing or accessing psychiatric
treatment, medication monitoring, housing, health care, entitlements, money
management and other social services. Outcome measures were a reduction in both
jail time and psychiatric hospitalizations. Using a pre-post study design, information
on jail days, arrests, and psychiatric hospitalizations were gathered from state
hospital and jail sources for the first and second year prior to enrollment
in the study. This information was compared to the first year after enrollment
in the program.
Results: Results of the study
reveal that in the first year post release, there was a 82.2% reduction in jail
days; a 51.5% reduction in arrests; an 85.5 % reduction in hospital days; and
an 82.6% reduction in incidents of rehospitalization compared to the same people
a year previous to this study.
Conclusion: Significant reductions
in jail and hospital utilization for jail inmates with an extremely recidivistic
history can be accomplished using an Assertive Community Treatment team with
special characteristics.
