During The Pandemic, States & Localities Must Decrease The Number Of Individuals In Psychiatric Hospitals, By Reducing Admissions & Accelerating Discharges

By Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law

In recent weeks, as the nation has faced the historic challenge of COVID-19 significant attention has been paid to the public health risks of confining people in close quarters in jails and prisons. Health and correctional professionals have described the risks – to inmates, staff, and local communities – and urged de-carceration efforts, and the Bazelon Center has urged states and localities to dramatically reduce the number of people with mental illness in jail. Much less attention has been paid to the public health risks of confining people in psychiatric hospitals. That must . . .