For a myriad of reasons the criminal justice system has become the de facto mental health system in the United States. The third edition of The Criminalization of Mental Illness thoroughly explains these reasons, and describes in detail specialized law enforcement responses to people with mental illness (PWMI), mental health courts, jails and prison conditions, and discharge planning for this group. The third edition also includes examples of crises involving PWMI that end up driving policy, examines how therapeutic jurisprudence can be utilized to improve responses to PWMI and to ameliorate the inhumane and costly recycling of PWMI through the criminal justice system, and provides insight from criminal justice practitioners, in their own words, about the challenges both PWMI and practitioners face in the system and efforts to overcome them.

This edition also examines the tension throughout the system when attempting to balance public safety and civil liberties. The concept of defunding the police and the impact of the Affordable Care Act on PWMI are considered as well. Compared to the second edition, the third edition is streamlined, with 11 total chapters (down from 13). It includes updated data on PWMI involved in the criminal justice system, a discussion of important events that have taken place since the publication of the second edition, as well as descriptions and analyses of key policies and practices enacted since that time. In short, it is the most comprehensive and up-to-date volume for students, academics, and practitioners interested in these crucial issues.