Imprisoning our mentally ill?

All over America, hospitals for treatment of the mentally ill have been shut down. Tens of thousands with disorders like depression and schizophrenia are being housed in jails and prisons. Mental illness has effectively been criminalized in the United States. But, the justice system is waking up. Incarceration makes mental illness much worse, rather than better; imprisoning sick people costs more taxpayer money than humane, more effective solutions.  

Raleigh Central Prison Hospital and Mental Health Facility. Photo courtesy of Newcomb & Boyd Consultants and Engineers.