Some 7.5 million people were arrested in the U.S. in 2020, and more than 10 million people were arrested each year in the 2010s. Now a new study looking at three of those years, 2017 to 2019, finds that one in nine of all arrests was of a person grappling with both a mental health and substance use disorder.

Author Archives: Josh McGhee
Josh McGhee is an investigative reporter covering the intersection of criminal justice and mental health with an emphasis on public records and data reporting. He has covered Chicago on various beats for the last decade, including criminal justice, courts, policing, race, inequality, politics and community news. He’s previously reported at DNAinfo Chicago, WVON, the Chicago Reporter and most recently Injustice Watch. His stories have been carried by US News and World Report, Miami Herald, the Kansas City Star, the Sacramento Bee, and many other papers. He attended Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Missouri. McGhee lives on the South Side of Chicago with his wife and son. Bonus fact: He has served as a coach for children in the All-American Basketball Academy. You can contact him at info@mindsitenews.org.