Florida Partners in Crisis

Useful Facts

System overview

Despite Florida's status as the fourth largest state in the U.S., per capita funding for mental health and substance is ranked 48th and 37th, respectively in the nation.
Source: DCF Florida Substance Abuse and Mental Health State Plan, January 2007

Florida spends $35.96 per capita for mental health treatment, ranking 48th of all 51 states. Only Arkansas and New Mexico spend less on mental health care.
Source: Treatment, Not Jail: Investing in Community Solutions to Florida's Human Services Crisis, Florida Partners in Crisis, 2007

Florida ranks 35th in the nation in per capital substance abuse spending.
Source: Florida Council for Community Mental Health

In Florida, people with mental illnesses in jails and prisons outnumber those in state mental health hospitals by five to one.
Source: The Sentencing Project, January 2002

It costs from $12,000 to $18,000 a year to treat someone with serious mental illness in the community, compared to $125,000 to $130,000 annually in a state forensic treatment facility.
Source: Florida Department of Children & Families

Impact on Our Communities

On any given day in Florida, more than 16,000 people with mental illnesses are homeless.
Source: Treatment, Not Jail: Investing in Community Solutions to Florida's Human Services Crisis, Florida Partners in Crisis, 2007

Florida ranks 15th in the nation in the number of suicides per 100,000
Source: Florida Council for Community Mental Health

Substance use causes or contributes to 70 percent of child use and neglect cases and accounts for $10 billion in federal, state and local spending on child welfare programs.
Source: Center on Addiction and Substance Use, Columbia University, 2002

Mental Health

52% of adults of who need mental health services are not being served, nor are 32% of children with emotional disturbances.
Source: Florida Department of Children & Families Substance Abuse and Mental Health State Plan Update, 2007

An estimated 170,000 adults with serious and persistent mental illnesses and more than 40,000 children with serious emotional disturbances who need publicly-supported services have no access treatment.
Source: Florida Department of Children & Families

Substance Abuse

There are currently 135,321 adolescents/children and 441,723 adults in Florida with family incomes below 250% of the federal poverty level who need substance abuse services.
Source: Department of Children & Families Substance Abuse and Mental Health State Plan Update, 2007

An average of 1,600 adults and children are on waiting lists for various substance abuse treatment services funded by DCF each month.
Source: Florida Department of Children & Families

Criminal Justice System Impact

Florida's local jails have become the largest public psychiatric hospitals, housing over 10,000 offenders with mental illnesses, many of whom have committed minor offenses.
Source: National Alliance on Mental Illness-Florida

In Florida, up to 23 percent of county jail inmates and 17% of state prison inmates have serious mental illnesses.
Source: Treatment, Not Jail: Investing in Community Solutions to Florida's Human Services Crisis, Florida Partners in Crisis, 2007

The number of people committed to state treatment facilities because they have been found not guilty by reason of insanity or incompetent to proceed is expected to increase at a rate of approximately 8% a year.
Source: Florida Department of Children & Families

Nearly half of (49%) of all youth in Florida's juvenile justice commitment programs have been diagnosed with mental illnesses and 35% have substance abuse disorders.
Source: Florida Department of Juvenile Justice

People with mental illnesses are 64% more likely to be arrested than those without a mental illness--for committing the same crime.
Source: Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, 2001