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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
William H. Fisher, PhD, Steven M Banks, PhD, and Bernice Fernandes, BA. Center for Mental Health Services Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655, 508-856-8711, Bill.Fisher@Umassmed.edu
It is widely recognized that persons with severe mental illness (PSMI) have frequent encounters with criminal justice agencies and other aspects of the legal system. Such elevated risk is, of course, not peculiar to PSMI, but is also experienced by other segments of American society. However, there have been few reports from large-scale surveys in which the legal involvement of PSMI and those without mental disorders have been compared. This study uses data from the National Comorbidity Study (NCS), a large national sample of adults in the US, to examine self-reported 12-month histories of legal problems across several segments of the population. Specifically, we compare reports from PSMI with those from other groups in American society, such as young males of color, persons living in large cities, etc. known to be at high risk for involvement with the criminal justice system, and also assess the extent of additional risk of legal involvement for these and other groups associated with meeting criteria for a major mental illness. These data will inform the discussion of risk of legal involvement among PSMI by viewing such involvement in a comparative framework that allows similar assessments of risk for other segments of the US adult population.
Learning Objectives: Attendees will
Keywords: Mental Illness,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.