Giving Compass' Take:

· The Marshall Project takes a look at a Pennsylvania case displaying a nation problem: mentally ill inmates often remain in jail while they wait for a spot in the hospital.

· How can we provide a better situation for mentally ill inmates? How can donors make a difference for this cause?

· Check out this article to learn about a law enforcement and mental health partnership in Arizona.

Anne Marcelline thought her daughter’s schizophrenia was under control. Elle, 34, had her own apartment in New York City, a steady job in a law office and was studying for the Law School Admission Test. She seemed stable—so stable that to clear her mind for the test, she stopped taking her medication.

It wasn’t long before she had a psychotic break and ran away, something that had happened at least once before, when she ended up in Georgia, in homeless shelters and a county jail. This time, she turned up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, nearly 100 miles from her home. Elle was arrested while walking down the street, suspected of stealing cash from the register of a gas station.

That was nearly two years ago. Elle has been trapped in the Pennsylvania justice system ever since. “If she wasn’t convicted, why the hell is she there? You know she’s ill,” her mother said. (Through her lawyer, Elle declined to comment for this article; her name has been changed to protect her privacy.)

A Pennsylvania judge deemed Elle incompetent to stand trial because of her mental illness. After such a ruling, defendants are usually transferred to a mental health facility in hopes of stabilizing them enough to eventually appear in court.

Read the full article about mentally ill inmates by Christie Thompson, Leila Miller and Manuel Villa at The Marshall Project.