13 Haunting Pictures Of Insane Prisoners In Kentucky

Jenn Ackerman

The Wall Street Journal had a staggering report recently that showed just how many crazy people America keeps in its jails instead of mental hospitals aimed at helping them get better.

America's three biggest jail systems - New York City, Los Angeles, and Cook County in Illinois - have 11,000 inmates being treated for mental illness. By comparison, the WSJ reported, the three largest state-run mental hospitals in the U.S. have only 4,000 beds.

This is a huge problem because prisons don't have the best reputation for helping the mentally ill get better. It is not a new problem, however.

Minneapolis-based photographer Jenn Ackerman got permission to photograph the Kentucky State Reformatory's psychiatric unit in 2008, after reading an article about the mentally ill prison. It was not easy for Ackerman to get this kind of access, and the photos she took are absolutely haunting. We are running them with her permission.