The report, "Callous and Cruel: Use of Force Against Inmates with Mental Disabilities in US Jails and Prisons," documents increasing reports of the misuse of force directed at incarcerated people with significant mental health struggles.

The report states prison staff, "are rarely taught how to recognize the symptoms of mental illness and to understand how they can affect behavior. Custody staff are also rarely trained in and required to use verbal de-escalation techniques or to seek the intervention of mental health staff before resorting to force" (Human Rights Watch, 2015).

A disproportionate number of incarcerated people with mental health disabilities are held in solitary confinement and other forms of segregation.