Relationship Between Psychiatric Inpatient Beds and Jail Populations in the United States.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The US criminal justice system has witnessed dramatic increases in its mentally ill population during the past 50 years. The decreasing number of psychiatric beds is one proposed cause and more psychiatric beds may be one solution.

Objective

This study examined the relationships among large changes in local psychiatric bed capacity, local jail inmate populations, and the psychiatric burden at local general hospitals.

Methods

The study used a kernel method to identify abrupt changes in psychiatric bed capacity using the American Hospital Association Survey and Medicare Provider of Services data. Data were aggregated to the hospital referral region-year level and matched to the National Inpatient Sample of hospital discharges 1988-2015 and the Annual Survey o

SUBMITTER: Gao YN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7887772 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature