Mental Health and Jail

I have always been intrigued by the fact that there are so many inmates in jail that have a serious mental illness. This has to tell the world something right? These folks have a mental illness and are in jail? What do they think that this is doing to help them? If jail is a time of punishment, why don't they send more of the people who are in jail to a mental health facility to be treated? So that they are less apt to commit a crime again. A report (listed below) said that 40% of people with a serious mental illness have been in jail at some point in their lives or will be in jail. This is a staggering fact, knowing that there is help out there for these folks but some just choose not to pursue it or just don't know how to access it. I was also surprised to find out by this article that when someone on Medicaid is sent to prison, they automatically get dropped from their services. So when they get out of jail and are back on the streets, if they are on meds then they can't get them anymore - does this help this situation any? There are some major changes that need to be made in the mental health field, especially related to prisons. I believe that they need a mental health professional to screen these folks that are coming in to the prisons to be able to recognize the ones that need mental help. The only ones that get the help they need are the ones that stand trial and are able to get checked out by a psychiatrist so they can be held "criminally insane". The ones that come in over and over for petty crimes don't stand trial or are not able to afford a lawyer to have them stand trial. Many issues.. .little answers.

My link to the article is enclosed in the title!