Half of Hennepin County Jail Inmates Suffer from Mental Illness: Study

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office released a study showing about half of inmates would benefit from or are in need of mental health services while incarcerated in the Hennepin County jail.

During the “One-Day Snapshot Study,” jail medical staff performed full medical assessments for 640 of
the 680 inmates in the Jail on July 27, 2016.

Study partners also reviewed other verifiable information for the 68 inmates, including medical histories, public court records, incidents during previous incarcerations, and county records from County Departments.

The analysis showed that 52 percent of the inmates had confirmed indicators or met other criteria
associated with mental illness.

Thirty-six percent of the inmates had a confirmed mental health diagnosis or concern in the jail’s intake health assessment, or had confirmed prescriptions for Neuroleptic medications.

An additional 16 percent of the inmates displayed behaviors associated with serious mental illness or had a significant history connected to mental illness, according to a news release.

“This new information is solid evidence that our jails continue to serve as the largest mental health
facilities in the State. Previous estimates of one-quarter (1/4) to one-third (1/3) were based solely upon
inmates who self-identified during a brief health screening process performed by Sheriff’s deputies,” said
Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek in a statement.

“Now that we have better information about the extent of mental illness among jail inmates, we can begin working on better ways to provide the services they need and deserve.”

The health assessments were performed by Registered Nurses from the Hennepin County Medical
Center, the medical and mental health service provider of the Hennepin County Jail.

“Hennepin Healthcare System is collaborating with multiple community partners,” said HCMC Psychiatrist Dr. Ian Heath, “including the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and Hennepin County Human Services Public
Health Division, to create an efficient system connecting people with the necessary services and supports
to achieve the best plausible outcomes.”

The Sheriff’s Office and other Hennepin County agencies have partnered to identify several innovations
that they hope will provide enhanced services for inmates who are mentally ill, including the following new
initiatives:

• Registered Nurses will conduct 24/7 health screenings for all inmates during the booking process.
• Housing/Classification decisions for inmates with mental illness will be based upon acuity levels as determined by Jail medical staff.
• Inmates will be provided 24 hours’ worth of medications upon release from the Jail, RN’s from
• HCMC also will oversee this service.
• The Sheriff’s Office Court “expediter” works to ensure inmates are making reasonable progress through court hearings and evaluations while in custody.

Image via Shutterstock