Announcement Date: November 10, 2017
Stronger Behavioral Health Focus in Massachusetts Criminal Justice Reform Could Save State Up to $300M Annually
(Boston, MA) November 10, 2017 – Over 40 percent of individuals incarcerated in Massachusetts state prisons and jails have been previously diagnosed with a behavioral health condition – 27 percent with a serious mental illness. Programs proven at diverting these individuals from the criminal justice system in the first place and preventing recidivism could save Massachusetts as much as $300 million, the cost of incarcerating nearly 3,000 prisoners with serious mental illness in state custody.
Read the rest of the press release here.
