Thousands participate in mental health courts. Half graduate — and millions are left out – Illinois Answers Project

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Every year, Illinois prisons incarcerate about 30,000 people at a total estimated cost of 1.5 billion. Nearly half of those people have a history of mental illness. By diverting people from prison through mental health courts and other interventions, one Illinois program estimates it has saved the state nearly half a billion by avoiding incarceration costs over the past 15 years, with 85 million expected to be saved this fiscal year.