Here is the article I'm talking about: http://bit.ly/1zxSpK2 This article talks about mentally ill inmates in jail. It was sent to me by a friend and supporter of my blog, I was fascinated to read it. One of my core concerns about mentally ill people is how many of them are 'treated' in jails. If there is no treatment available on the outside, and a mentally ill human being is arrested...that is where they end up. And mental illness doesn't go away because they are jailed. I have my beliefs about treating the mentally ill in jail. I think it is warehousing. Not treatment. And I have reasons to have that opinion. As a case manager, I had a few clients in jail. Because of the terms of the program that I worked for, my ability to carry an inmate on my caseload ended if the client spent more than a few weeks in jail. And I knew something about what happened to clients in regards to psychotropic medications in jail. Most of the time, they didn't get them. So, if someone was seriously mentally ill and on meds, they might not be able to obtain their needed medication. I remember trying to contact a counselor in the jail for a client. I was concerned about him. And I called and left messages. The jail counselor didn't return my call. So I called again and again. Of course, those calls weren't returned either. And when I did talk to people at the jail, they confirmed that inmates didn't always have access to psychotropic medication. Eventually, I gave up. I had to. My client no longer fit the guidelines for the program. He was in jail.
From what I'm reading in this article, in some ways the situation has improved. Medication is available in jail, at least in Orlando. But the inmates aren't required to take it. And because the jail population isn't there for a predictable period of time, they may not have the time to stabilize. I used to live in Florida. I know how difficult it is to get mental health treatment. Until I was suicidal, I wasn't able to get help. Even though medication might have made my trip to the hospital unnecessary. So, treatment is also not readily available to the even more seriously and chronically mentally ill. They don't get help outside the hospital because Medicaid eligibility is so restrictive. And when they are in jail, they might not have time to get stabilized.
This article talks a lot about the volatility of mentally ill inmates. That is the reality. Many of them are delusional. And if a guard approaches as an authority figure to "bust heads" with an uncooperative inmate, that may actually increase volatility and danger. When I worked in a psychiatric hospital, I quickly learned that arguing with a person who is delusional is one sure way to increase agitation and volatility. Seems kind of logical to me. But jail isn't treatment. And not all guards are trained. This article left me wondering about what good a revolving door jailhouse treatment does for these inmates. And how that influences the inability of these men and women to stabilize? We know that mental health treatment makes a difference for many people. Not all of them. But if we had a functioning system of mental health treatment, would we have an actual decrease in inmates going in and out of the revolving jailhouse door? Would there be fewer homeless? Could we make a difference in the numbers of people actually committing crimes while mentally ill? What do you think? Let's talk!!
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