USC study: Jailed women face mental health issues

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A new study has found the majority of women in jail are facing mental health issues.

University of South Carolina researcher Dana DeHart says her study shows women in jails show rates of posttraumatic stress disorder and substance dependence are at least five times higher than women in the general population.

Fifty-five percent of the 219 incarcerated women DeHart and other researchers interviewed met criteria for lifetime PTSD. Sixty percent have histories of substance dependence.

DeHart says it’s likely more funding from community-based mental health services could help the women get needed support.

For about a year, researchers interviewed women in jails in South Carolina, Idaho, Colorado and the Washington, D.C. area. Final results from the U.S. Department of Justice-funded study are expected in June.