The Released: Mentally Ill offenders when they leave prison (54 min video)

Five years ago, FRONTLINE's groundbreaking film, The New Asylums, went deep inside the Ohio prison system as it struggled to provide care to thousands of mentally ill inmates. This year, FRONTLINE filmmakers Karen O'Connor and Miri Navasky return to Ohio to tell the next chapter in this disturbing story: what happens to mentally ill offenders when they leave prison. The Released is an intimate look at the lives of the seriously mentally ill as they struggle to remain free.

Supporting Resources: Reentering Society/Recidivism

Grading the States: 2009
According to this recent National Alliance on Mental Illness study, the nationwide grade for mental health care for those who are seriously ill is a “D.” Find out your state’s ranking.

Breaking the Tragic Cycle
From the companion site to FRONTLINE’s 2005 report, The New Asylums, on mentally ill inmates, here are some examples of programs designed to help prisoners reenter society.

Compassion, Compulsion and the Mentally Ill
Dr. E. Fuller Torrey’s June 2008 Wall Street Journal opinion piece on the legacy of deinstitutionalization and its link to the statistics on violent crimes committed by untreated mentally ill people.

Understanding and Preventing Criminal Recidivism Among Adults With Psychotic Disorders
Writing in the June 2007 issue of Psychiatric Services, Dr. J. Steven Lamberti lays out the current strategies for treating severely mentally ill people in the community, explains the risk factors particular to the population, and proposes a framework for breaking the cycle of recidivism.

Reentry Policy Council: Reentry and Mental Health
Includes links to relevant sections of the council’s report on released prisoners and additional resources, including this report (PDF file) on how four states help mentally ill prisoners enroll for Social Security and Medicaid benefits.

Mentally Ill a Threat in Nursing Homes
A 2009 Associated Press article on how inappropriate housing placements for severely mentally ill people can have deadly consequences.

www.schizophrenia.com
This site offers an overview of the disease, plus dozens of related topics. Started by a man as a memorial to his brother who was schizophrenic, it’s a popular discussion forum for people diagnosed with the illness, as well as for families, significant others, caregivers and friends.

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