SIOUX FALLS, S.D. ( KELO AM) - A report from the disability advocacy group RespectAbility shows that 32% of inmates in federal prisons and 40% of people in jails have at least one disability.
Philip Pauli of RepsectAbility says South Dakota is the top state in the nation for employing people with disabilities, an issue for prisoner recidivism.
Pauli says still three-quarters of all prisoners are re-arrested within five years of release.
He says because they aren't being given jobs, they aren't being trained to find a career or find services or find secure housing. Pauli says there is serious need for reform measures to consider early interventionsm, accomodations and improving reintegration supports.
The report credits South Dakota for "investing heavily in training, mentorship and support services.
Pauli advises state and federal lawmakers to pay attention to disability issues because there is a serious gap in understanding how they affect people in the justice system.
He says people with disabilities interact with courts and police as victims, as witnesses and as perpetrators. But at every level, he says, people in the systen don't understand the impact of disabilities, particularly those of invisible disabilities, like cognitive or executive function disorders.
Suggestions include giving inmates with mental disorders a 30-day supply of medication when they leave prison, and making health insurance access easier.
(Thanks Greater Dakota News Service)