The Associated Press

Mental health problems soared after Hurricane Katrina, just as the city's ability to handle them plummeted, creating a crisis so acute that police officers say they take some disturbed people to a destination of last resort - jail.

A prison spokeswoman said the jail spends $10,000 to $12,000 a month on psychiatric medication - 21% of the total it spends on pharmaceuticals. There are one full-time, board certified psychiatrist, and two part-time psychiatrists to treat 2,000 inmates.