Public expenditures related to the criminal justice system and to services for arrestees with a serious mental illness.
OBJECTIVE
The study identified expenditures related to criminal justice, health, mental health, and social welfare services over a four-year period for arrestees with serious mental illnesses in a large Florida county and characteristics of subgroups.


METHODS
Multiple data sets were used to identify 3,769 persons arrested in a one-year period who had serious mental illnesses. Multiple regression with all variables mutually adjusted was used to explore associations with a log of aggregate criminal justice, health, mental health, and social welfare expenditures.


RESULTS
Aggregate expenditures were $94,957,465, with a median per person of $15,134. Individuals with the highest expenditures were at least 40 years old with a psychotic disorder, an involuntary psychiatric examination, and more arrests and mental health contacts. Medicaid enrollees had higher expenditures than nonenrollees overall but lower criminal justice expenditures.


CONCLUSIONS
Identifying characteristics of subgroups with higher expenditures may assist policy makers and providers in designing appropriate criminal justice and treatment responses.
Petrila
John
J
Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, 13301 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa, FL 33612, USA. petrila@fmhi.usf.edu
Andel
Ross
R
Constantine
Robert
R
Robst
John
J
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003415:Crime / Q000191:economics; D003416:Criminal Law / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000191:economics*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000191:economics; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D012946:Social Welfare / Q000191:economics; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult