RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Disparities in Justice and Care: Persons With Severe Mental Illnesses in the U.S. Immigration Detention System JF Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online JO J Am Acad Psychiatry Law FD American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law SP 392 OP 399 VO 38 IS 3 A1 Kristen C. Ochoa A1 Gregory L. Pleasants A1 Joseph V. Penn A1 David C. Stone YR 2010 UL http://jaapl.org/content/38/3/392.abstract AB As the total number of persons held within the U.S. immigration detention system has grown, the number of detained persons with severe mental illnesses has grown correspondingly. Reports issued by the government, legal and human rights advocates, and the media have brought to light a problematic and growing detention system with pervasive legal and mental health care disparities. Described are the structure and funding of the U.S. immigration detention system, the legal state of affairs for immigration detainees with mental illnesses, and what is known about the present system of mental health care within the U.S. immigration detention system. Attention is given to the paucity of legal protections for immigration detainees with severe mental illnesses, such as no right to appointed legal counsel and no requirement for mental competence before undergoing deportation proceedings. A case example and discussion of potential alternatives to detention highlight the need for wide-ranging reform.