title: Jail hospitalization of prearraignment patient arrestees with mental illness.
abstract: A growing number of individuals with mental illness are receiving psychiatric treatment in the criminal justice system. However, mental health problems facing individuals immediately after arrest and before arraignment have not been adequately studied. In New York City, prearraignment arrestees who require psychiatric hospitalization are temporarily transferred from police custody to correctional custody and admitted to the Bellevue Jail Psychiatry Service (BJPS) for treatment. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the impact of this jail hospitalization on the legal disposition of this vulnerable population. A retrospective chart review was conducted of 204 consecutively admitted male patient-arrestees on the BJPS. Results showed that admission to the BJPS delayed arraignment by an average of 8.03 days, with longer delays for individuals arrested outside of Manhattan. Although these delays are considered acceptable under legal precedent, concerns arise about the therapeutic impact of this practice on newly arrested individuals with severe mental illness.
authors.affiliation: Bellevue Hospital Center, 462 First Avenue, NBV 19W21, New York, NY 10016. elizabeth.ford@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Christopher W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Racine
authors.forename: Christopher W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Elizabeth B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Ford
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003416:Criminal Law; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City; D011329:Prisoners / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult