“People of color, notably African American men, are imprisoned at disproportionate rates and tend to face harsher punishment for similar crimes as their white counterparts. There are enormous health, social, and economic consequences of incarceration for both the imprisoned person, their families, and our communities.” 2022 NC SHIP, pg. 40.
According to SAMSHSA, an estimated 18% of the general population has a mental illness. However, an estimated 44% of those in jail and 37% of those in prison have a mental illness.
An estimated 11% of the 18–25-year-old population and 6% of those over 25 years old have a substance use disorder. The estimated prevalence of substance use disorder in jails is 63%, and 58% in prisons.
People with these disorders have challenges in getting appropriate treatment, and often incarceration exacerbates their symptoms. This can lead to individuals staying incarcerated longer than those without behavioral health concerns. Upon release from incarceration, people with behavioral health issues face many barriers to successful reentry into the community, such as lack of health care, job skills, education, stable housing, and poor connection with community behavioral health providers. These factors may jeopardize their recovery and increase their probability of relapse and re-arrest. 2022 NC SHIP, pg. 42
Durham County NC Criminal Justice Resource Center |
https://www.dconc.gov/county-departments/departments-a-e/criminal-justice-resource-center |
Growing Change, Inc |
https://www.growingchange.org/ |
Leading Into New Communities (LINC), Inc. |
https://lincnc.org/ |
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ)-Trauma- Informed Courts |
https://www.ncjfcj.org/child-welfare-and-juvenile-law/trauma-informed-courts/ |
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI) |
https://www.dpi.nc.gov/data-reports/discipline-alp-and-dropout-data |
North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC) |
https://www.nchrc.org/ |
North Carolina Judicial Branch- School Justice Partnership |
https://www.nccourts.gov/programs/school-justice-partnership |
North Carolina Justice Academy |
https://ncdoj.gov/ncja/ |
North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice (TREC) |
https://ncdoj.gov/trec/ |
Wash Away Unemployment |
https://www.wash-away.org/ |
US Bureau of Justice Statistics and NC Department of Public Safety