People with mental illness are sitting in jail. What can be done?

By: Sue Abderholden

Outlets: Minnesota Reformer

Published: May 29, 2026

Words: 1,677

Last Updated: 1 month, 3 weeks ago

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The criminalization of people with mental illnesses is a significant issue that taxes our resources and tests our humanity — an estimated 44% of people in jails and 37% of people in prison have a mental illness.

Often people with mental illnesses are deemed incompetent to stand trial, so they can’t be tried. Jails don’t provide the treatment or education needed to help people become competent, so people are often stuck there.

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