Abstract
The behavioral health needs, service utilization, and discharge planning provision of veterans in jails have been understudied, yet practitioners must understand each component to ensure veterans’ behavioral health needs are met through linkage to culturally-appropriate services. Thus, this study asked: How do veterans differ from non-veterans regarding behavioral health needs, jail-based service engagement, and discharge planning within jails? How do jails identify veterans and are they referred to culturally-appropriate services? In a booking sample across eight jails, this evaluative, cross-sectional study compared veterans to non-veterans by demographics, criminal/legal outcomes, behavioral health needs, and receipt of jail-based behavioral health and discharge planning services. Additionally, the process by which booking officers and jail-based clinicians identify veterans was assessed. Veterans were more likely to be male, older, to have received mental health services prior to their jail stay, and to misuse alcohol. They are less likely to have insecure housing and misuse drugs. No differences existed for length of stay in jail nor recidivism. Veterans were equally likely to receive jail-based behavioral health services, but less likely to receive discharge planning services. While many veterans identified their military status at booking, just over one-third who received services from clinicians were identified as veterans. Of those identified by clinicians, few were referred to culturally-appropriate services as part of their discharge planning. Practitioners in the criminal/legal and mental health systems need to collaborate and develop processes that successfully identify and link veterans to culturally-appropriate services.
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All data, materials, and software applications support published claims and comply with field standards. No material included in this manuscript has been re-used in other published or unpublished manuscripts.
Notes
Although the Bureau of Justice Statistics has used a 13 or higher cut-point for jail and prison populations.
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Acknowledgements
This project was supported by the Governor’s Diversion Council and the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services
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This project was funded by the Governor’s Diversion Council and the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services.
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EC led this study’s conceptualization, material preparation, and data collection. Data analyses were conducted by EC and VN. All authors drafted, edited, and approved the final manuscript.
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Wayne State University’s Institutional Review Board approved this study (2018-55). Study procedures adhere to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Methodological Approach Guideline Authors adhered to the minimum reporting guidelines specified in EQUATOR Network's STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies.
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This is an observational, cross-sectional study that is evaluative in nature and utilizes secondary data. Wayne State University’s Institutional Review Board confirmed that informed consent was not required for this study.
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Comartin, E., Dunnigan, M. & Nelson, V. Lost in Transition: The Behavioral Health Needs of Veterans in Eight County Jails. Adm Policy Ment Health 49, 104–115 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-021-01151-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-021-01151-5