TY - JOUR T1 - Commentary: Bridging the Gaps for Former Inmates with Serious Mental Illness JF - Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online JO - J Am Acad Psychiatry Law SP - 510 LP - 513 VL - 41 IS - 4 AU - Anthony C. Tamburello AU - Zoƫ Selhi Y1 - 2013/12/01 UR - http://jaapl.org/content/41/4/510.abstract N2 - Serious mental illness is a prominent and vexing problem within the correctional systems of North America. Simpson and colleagues draw attention to the epidemiology, special characteristics, and management problems relevant to Canadian inmates with serious mental illness. Of great interest to those in the forensic psychiatric field is the matter of continuation of care for mentally ill prisoners, in that untreated or undertreated psychiatric problems are strongly associated with poor social functioning and criminal recidivism. In this commentary, we expand on the discussion in Simpson et al. of the effectiveness of assertive community treatment teams for those former inmates at greatest risk for future involvement with the criminal justice system. We also propose outpatient civil commitment as one strategy to facilitate the successful return of select inmate patients to the community. ER -