Mentally Ill Inmates:
Better Data Would Help Determine Protection and Advocacy Needs
GGD-91-35: Published: Apr 17, 1991. Publicly Released: May 22, 1991.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the treatment of mentally ill inmates in correctional facilities, focusing on: (1) the extent to which correctional facilities subjected such inmates to abuse or neglect, as defined by the Protection and Advocacy for Mentally Ill Individuals Act; and (2) whether the act covered such inmates.
GAO found that: (1) the extent to which correctional facilities subjected mentally ill individuals to abuse and neglect was unknown; (2) the act provided for the establishment of protection and advocacy systems for the mentally ill (PAMI); (3) the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reported in 1989 that 533 of the 18,498 cases PAMI handled dealt with prison and jail inmates, and Bureau of Prison (BOP) records indicated that, since 1986, 18 inmates had filed grievances involving mental health complaints, but some prisons may not have reported abuse or neglect cases to BOP or PAMI; (4) congressional testimonies suggested that state prisons and jails subjected mentally ill individuals to abuse and neglect; (5) two provisions of the act allowed inmates to be eligible for PAMI services; (6) in August 1990, NIMH revised its policy allowing PAMI to provide protection and advocacy services to mentally ill inmates in the general population and nonfederal facilities; (7) in 1987, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a determination that the act did not cover inmates in federal facilities; and (8) more PAMI involvement with inmate complaints and effective PAMI activity reporting could result in more accurate data concerning the extent of abuse or neglect in correctional facilities.
Recommendation for Executive Action
Status: Closed - Implemented
Comments: HHS stated that the recently revised form requires advocacy groups to identify the number of complaints received from prisoners. While not in formats recommended, the action taken, according to HHS, responds to needs addressed by the GAO recommendation.
Recommendation: The Secretary of Health and Human Services should require NIMH to have PAMI identify in their annual reports to NIMH the number and types of complaints received and their status and disposition by type of facility for inclusion in the Secretary's annual report to Congress on protection and advocacy matters.
Agency Affected: Department of Health and Human Services
Explore the full database of GAO's Open Recommendations
»
Oct 26, 2020
-
Intellectual Property:
CBP Has Taken Steps to Combat Counterfeit Goods in Small Packages but Could Streamline EnforcementGAO-20-692: Published: Sep 24, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 26, 2020.
Sep 30, 2020
-
Federal Criminal Restitution:
Department of Justice Has Ongoing Efforts to Improve Its Oversight of the Collection of Restitution and Tracking the Use of Forfeited AssetsGAO-20-676R: Published: Sep 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 30, 2020.
Sep 10, 2020
-
Federal Tactical Teams:
Characteristics, Training, Deployments, and InventoryGAO-20-710: Published: Sep 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 10, 2020.
Sep 8, 2020
-
VA Police:
Actions Needed to Improve Data Completeness and Accuracy on Use of Force Incidents at Medical CentersGAO-20-599: Published: Sep 8, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 8, 2020.
Aug 13, 2020
-
Anti-Money Laundering:
FinCEN Should Enhance Procedures for Implementing and Evaluating Geographic Targeting OrdersGAO-20-546: Published: Jul 14, 2020. Publicly Released: Aug 13, 2020.
Jul 29, 2020
-
Federal Prison Industries:
Actions Needed to Evaluate Program EffectivenessGAO-20-505: Published: Jul 29, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 29, 2020.
Jul 8, 2020
-
Gun Control:
DOJ Can Further Improve Guidance on Federal Firearm Background Check RecordsGAO-20-528: Published: Jul 8, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 8, 2020.
Jun 22, 2020
-
Federal Prisons:
Additional Analysis Needed to Determine Whether to Issue Pepper Spray to Minimum Security PrisonsGAO-20-342: Published: Jun 22, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 22, 2020.
May 26, 2020
-
Bureau of Prisons:
Improved Planning Would Help BOP Evaluate and Manage Its Portfolio of Drug Education and Treatment ProgramsGAO-20-423: Published: May 26, 2020. Publicly Released: May 26, 2020.
May 12, 2020
-
Forensic Technology:
Algorithms Used in Federal Law EnforcementGAO-20-479SP: Published: May 12, 2020. Publicly Released: May 12, 2020.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here