In 1972, a federal court reinforced the deinstitutionalization of state psychiatric hospitals when they held that people with mental illness have a constitutional right to treatment (Wyatt v. Stickney, 1972). Although many states released patients and closed hospitals in response to this decision, they neglected to provide adequate community-based treatment resulting in the unintended reinstitutionalization of this population into our state and local jails. Recently, many state and local stakeholders have come together to address this situation. This article will discuss how the criminal justice system has become a primary mental health provider and strategies being utilized to reform the current system.
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