Consumer satisfaction and incarceration after treatment.

Consumer satisfaction is increasingly used to measure community mental health program performance. Understanding the relationship between consumer satisfaction and treatment outcomes is only beginning. This article adds to this understanding by reporting on an assessment of the relationship between consumer evaluation of community mental health services and incarceration after treatment in a statewide system of care. Results indicate that satisfaction with services is related to incarceration after treatment, with satisfied consumers having lower incarceration rates. These results support the use of self-reported consumer satisfaction as a measure of mental health program performance.