Differential Incarceration by Race-Ethnicity and Mental Health Service Status in the Los Angeles County Jail System.

OBJECTIVE

This study analyzed race-ethnicity and arrest charge data from the Los Angeles (LA) County jail mental health (JMH) population to examine disparities by race and ethnicity.

METHODS

Data from the LA County Sheriff's Department for all persons in the JMH population on February 14, 2019 (N=5,134), and for the overall LA County jail population (N=16,975) were compared with chi-square tests (p≤0.05 for binary measures and Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons).

RESULTS

The JMH sample had a significantly larger proportion of black (41% versus 30%) and white (19% versus 15%) persons and a smaller proportion of Hispanic persons (35% versus 52%), compared with the overall jail population (p<0.001). A significantly smaller proportion of the JMH sample was charged with a felony (80% versus 91%, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Resources should be invested in prioritizing jail diversion of black individuals with mental illness and addressing the incarceration of persons with mental disorders charged with misdemeanors.