Table 3

Severely Mentally Ill Persons in Jails and Prisons in 2000

Year2000
Total number of inmates1,937,482
Number of severely mentally ill inmates, according to the lowest estimated percentage (16%)*309,997
U.S. population273,600,000
Severely mentally ill inmates/100,000 population113
  • * According to the most recent methodologically sound estimate of the number of severely mentally ill (major depression, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, and bipolar disorder) inmates, which ranged from 16% to 24%.