Their Families Said They Needed Treatment. Mississippi Officials Threw Them in Jail Without Charges.

ProPublica, July 27, 2023: Their Families Said They Needed Treatment. Mississippi Officials Threw Them in Jail Without Charges.

“In every state, people who present a threat to themselves or others can be ordered to receive mental health treatment. Most states allow people with substance abuse problems to be ordered into treatment, too. The process is called civil commitment.

“But Mississippi Today and ProPublica could not find any state other than Mississippi where people are routinely jailed without charges for days or weeks during that process.

“The news organizations examined jail dockets from 19 Mississippi counties — about a quarter of the state’s 82 — that clearly marked bookings related to civil commitments. All told, people in those counties were jailed at least 2,000 times for civil commitments alone from 2019 to 2022. None had been charged with a crime.

“Most were deemed to need psychiatric treatment; others were sent to substance abuse programs, according to county officials.

“Since 2006, at least 13 people have died in Mississippi county jails as they awaited treatment for mental illness or substance abuse, Mississippi Today and ProPublica found. Nine of the 13 killed themselves. At least 10 hadn’t been charged with a crime.”

Additional reading:

Everyday Injustice Podcast, July 24, 2023: Is Civil Commitment Double Jeopardy?

NPR, March 28, 2023: Lawmakers in Ore., Calif. attempt to expand involuntary commitment

Psychology Today, June 23, 2023: Involuntary Commitment for Substance Use Disorder?