One of every five inmates jailed in the seven- county Denver metro area has a serious mental illness, and housing them takes a $34.4 million annual bite out of the counties’ tight budgets, according to a new report by a Metro Area County Commissioners’ task force.

Seriously ill inmates spend 5 1/2 times longer in jail than average inmates and cost $8.28 more per day because they receive more services and may be housed in special units, the report found.

"If we could reduce the number of mentally ill people in jail by one-third, we could cut the jail population in half," said Jefferson County Commissioner Kathy Hartman, chairwoman of the metro group. Mentally ill inmates also revolve in and out of jail more frequently.

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