# What This Bill Does: Mental Health Screening for People in Prisons and Jails

This bill creates a new federal program to identify people with serious mental health conditions while they're in prison or jail, and then connect them with mental health care when they get out. Right now, many people with conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or severe depression cycle through the criminal justice system without ever getting proper treatment. This bill aims to break that cycle by catching these issues early and linking people to help before they're released.

Here's how it would work in practice: When someone enters a prison or jail, they'd answer a short survey—just 5 to 10 questions—designed to spot signs of serious mental illness. If the screening suggests someone has a mental health condition, a special outreach team would try to connect with them before they leave. If they're released before that happens, the team would call them within 24 to 48 hours and try to set up an appointment with a local mental health provider. The goal is to make sure people don't just walk out the door with nowhere to go and no treatment plan, which often leads them back to crime and re-incarceration.

The bill provides about $100 million per year (growing to $140 million by 2029) to pay for this work. The money would fund hiring mental health liaison staff at prisons and jails, creating outreach teams, developing the screening technology, and paying for independent researchers to study whether the program actually works. Federal prisons, state prisons, and local jails would all get funding, with half the money going to local jails where most people are held before trial.

The bill also requires rigorous evaluation to see if this approach actually reduces crime and improves people's lives after release. Researchers would track whether people who get screened and referred to mental health care have lower arrest rates, better employment, and higher wages compared to those who don't. This focus on evidence means the program will be adjusted based on what actually works rather than just good intentions.