Faster reviews, a plan for evaluations and updated policies could help improve oversight of mental health services for inmates, GAO has said.
Mental health services costs rose from $123 million in fiscal 2008 to $146 million in fiscal 2012, largely due to inmate population increases, inflation, and increased participation, and the per capital cost rose to $821 in fiscal 2012, according to GAO-13-1.
It said most institutions reviewed received good or superior ratings on their psychology and health services program reviews, but that the reviews did not always occur within BoP-established time frames, generally due to lack of staff availability.
When reviews were postponed, delays could be lengthy, sometimes exceeding a year, even for those institutions with the lowest ratings in previous reviews, GAO said.
Further, it said the bureau’s program statements, or formal policies, related to mental health services contain outdated information and that policy changes are communicated to staff through memos rather than keeping program statements up to date.
BoP largely agreed with recommendations to take steps to prioritize the completion of postponed program reviews, develop a plan to evaluate treatment programs, and develop and implement updated program statements.
