Committed to Jail

How Mississippi Jails People for Mental Illness


In Mississippi, many people awaiting court-ordered treatment for mental illness or substance abuse are jailed, even though they haven’t been charged with a crime.


These articles contain detailed descriptions of mental illness and suicide. If you or someone you know needs help:

  • Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
  • Text the Crisis Text Line from anywhere in the U.S. to reach a crisis counselor: 741741

This series was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Mississippi TodaySign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published. 

read the series



more mental health news

Forty years after health official scaled fence in Jackson to save malnourished personal care home residents, unchecked horrors remain

The number of unregulated personal care homes started growing in the 1980s after state mental hospitals were forced to discharge thousands of patients into the community. But 40 years and several policy changes later, state law allows many to continue operating under the radar, sometimes housing residents in dire conditions.