Background

• 9-20% of the 2.3 million people in U.S. jails and prisons have a serious mental illness
• Wilper et al. found that 26.3% of federal inmates, 28.9% of state inmates, and 41.8% of jail inmates were not continued on home medications while incarcerated
• Lack of access to mental health medications can lead to decompensation, disciplinary action from correctional staff, increased victimization from other inmates, and placement in solitary confinement
• Lack of access can also result in admission to state mental health facilities to restore competency which requires continued medication access upon return to jail
• Studies have noted that jails often lack resources for appropriate medication management, psychosocial assessments, and crisis intervention
• While there have been studies on resources and treatment barriers for inmates, there is a lack of information focused specifically on medications

Primary Objective

Characterize the barriers to receiving psychiatric medications for people who are incarcerated

Secondary Objectives

• Compare the barriers to receiving psychiatric medications for people who are incarcerated before competency restoration to after competency restoration
• Characterize psychiatric medication formularies of jails

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