About 50 percent  of the people in jails and prisons in the U.S. have a mental illness. 

The focus of the new book, “Insane: America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness” from author Alisa Roth, who was also a former Marketplace New York bureau chief, looks at how mental illness has become a ticket to jail. 

“There’s absolutely not enough money put towards mental health care in jails and prisons. They need more doctors. They need more clinicians. They need more space to provide therapy for instance,” Roth said.  

Roth joined us to discuss some of the systemic issues in the country’s criminal justice system. 

Click the above audio player to hear the full interview.