Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pa. (PRNewsFoto )

Drugs, violence and gangs are all commonly associated with inmates and the prison system. However, prisons are rapidly gaining a reputation for a different kind of problem: mental illness.

“Prisons are the new asylums,” said Fred Cohen, a lawyer and author of several books on mental illness and criminal law.

For years, researchers have worried about the growing number of mentally ill people in correctional facilities.

In the 1970s, many state psychiatric hospitals shuttered their doors, turning mentally ill patients out onto the streets. The highly visible nature of their symptoms made it difficult for them to maintain homes and jobs and many became homeless. Some used drugs in attempt to self-medicate symptoms and were arrested for petty crimes such as shoplifting or disorderly behavior.

Cohen explained: “Those people didn’t just stay on the street. They went to prison.”

About 31 percent of new female inmates and 14.5 percent of new male inmates suffer from serious mental illnesses defined as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder, to a report from the Council of State Governments and Policy Research Associates states.

Experts agree that most jails and prisons simply aren’t equipped to provide psychiatric care to an inmate suffering from psychotic delusions.

It’s been well documented that some types of discipline used in correctional facilities may be particularly unsuitable for the mentally ill. Craig Haney, a psychologist at the University of California at Santa Cruz, has written extensively about the debilitating impact of solitary confinement. He found that isolation tends to further disintegrate a mentally ill inmate’s link to reality and makes it even more difficult to regulate behavior.

Once an inmate is in the jail system, it’s unlikely to be the last time. A study by the U.S. Justice Department found that inmates with mental illness were more likely to be repeat offenders. About 25 percent of state prisoners and jail inmates with mental health problems had three or more prior incarcerations, while the comparable figure for those without mental health problems was 20 percent.

Frederic Reamer, a professor at the School of Social Work at Rhode Island College in Providence and a member of the Rhode Island Parole Board, said that even when inmates gain access to treatment in prison, they often aren’t able to continue treatment and medication after their release from custody.

“No one should be surprised when those inmates return to prison," he said.

And it’s not just the medication. Reamer noted that housing and job training as well as counseling and crisis intervention services are often unavailable, either due to lack of funding or geographic isolation.

“Releasing an inmate who has a chronic history of persistent mental illness without comprehensive care is a recipe for disaster," he said.

However, when it comes to allocation of funds, particularly in difficult economic times, correctional facilities are a low priority. What’s more, politicians who are concerned about appearing soft on crime often are reluctant to support new prison initiatives, Powell said.

“Nobody loses a vote being mean to inmates,” said Powell.