Jail administrators must oversee a transition that can be stressful and complex, during which individuals with mental illness may be at risk of decompensation. This challenge is compounded by the frustration that so many of the individuals with mental illness who end up in jail cycle repeatedly through the facility. The Consensus Project suggests strategies to collaborate with mental health agencies and the court system to identify individuals with mental illness and determine those who may be eligible for diversion; to treat and monitor individuals with mental illness while they are detained or incarcerated; and to work with mental health providers to plan for inmates' transition back into the community, whatever the length of their stay.

Though the Consensus Project encourages a systemic approach to improving the response to people with mental illness involved in the justice system, we recognize the need for jail administrators to focus on the issues that most directly pertain to their roles. To that end, we recommend that they focus on the following sections: