Paper Title
Assessment and Treatment of Mental Illness in Jail and Prison in Sudan

Abstract
Background: The number of individuals with serious mental illness in prisons and jails now exceeds the number in state psychiatric hospitals tenfold. Most of the mentally ill individuals in prisons and jails would have been treated in the state psychiatric hospitals in the years before the deinstitutionalization movement led to the closing of the hospitals, a trend that continues even today. The treatment of mentally ill individuals in prisons and jails is critical, especially since such individuals are vulnerable and often abused while incarcerated. Objective: This study assessed and investigated the treatment of mental illness in jail and prison in Sudan. (Kobar and Alhuda Prison) Results: The study found that majority (95%) of offenders with severe mental illness generally have acute and chronic mental illness and poor functioning. A large proportion are homeless. It appears that a greater (86%) proportion of mentally ill persons are arrested compared with the general population. Factors cited as causes of mentally ill persons' being placed in the criminal justice system are deinstitutionalization with percentage (87%), more rigid criteria for civil commitment(92%), lack of adequate community support for persons with mental illness (79%), mentally ill offenders' difficulty gaining access to community treatment (69%), and the attitudes of police officers and society (63%). Recommendations: include mental health consultation to police in the field; formal training of police officers; careful screening of incoming jail detainees; diversion to the mental health system of mentally ill persons who have committed minor offenses; assertive case management and various social control interventions, such as outpatient commitment, court-ordered treatment, psychiatric conservatorship, and 24-hour structured care; involvement of and support for families; and provision of appropriate mental health treatment. Keywords: Assessment, Treatment, Mental illness, Jail, Prison