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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 11:41 am
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Results for mentally ill prisoners
8 results foundAuthor: Livingston, James D. Title: Mental Health and Substance Use Services in Correctional Settings: A Review of Minimum Standards and Best Practices Summary: Research consistently demonstrates that custodial and community corrections populations have substantially higher prevalence rates of mental health and substance use problems compared with the general population. This report presents a review of minimum standards and best practices in relation to the provision of mental health and substance use services in correctional settings. The report has been created to serve as a background document for the Centre as it prepares to undertake further work in relation to mental health practices in the criminal justice system. Details: Vancouver, BC: International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, 2009. 115p. Source: Year: 2009 Country: International URL: Shelf Number: 116382 Keywords: Mental Health ServicesMentally Ill PrisonersPrisoners (Substance Abuse)Substance Abuse Treatment |
Author: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Title: The Mental Health of Prison Entrants in Australia, 2010 Summary: This bulletin presents results from the 2010 National Prisoner Health Census, and focuses on the associations between mental health and a range of characteristics and behaviours reported by prison entrants. Generally, prison entrants with mental health issues have relatively poor socioeconomic and health characteristics and are more likely to engage in risky health behaviours. They also are more likely to use prison health services and use them more frequently. Mental health issues are common among prison entrants - In 2010, 31% of prison entrants reported that they had been told by a doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist or nurse that they had a mental health disorder (including drug and alcohol abuse) in their lifetime. This is about 2.5 times higher than the general population (ABS 2010). Sixteen per cent of prison entrants were currently on medication for a mental health disorder and 14% reported experiencing very high levels of distress. Prison entrants with a mental health disorder have relatively poor socioeconomic and health characteristics - Compared with entrants without a history of a mental health disorder and the general population, prison entrants with a history of a mental health disorder have poorer socioeconomic and health characteristics. Two out of five prison entrants in Australia with a mental health disorder did not complete Year 10 at school and 2 out of 3 were either unemployed or unable to work due to disability, age or condition. Further, this group had extensive criminal histories, with about 1 in 3 having been incarcerated 5 or more times in an adult prison. Also, half of this group had received a head injury that resulted in a loss of consciousness or blacking out. Prison entrants with a mental health disorder are more likely to report risky health behaviours - Many prison entrants in Australia report engaging in risky health behaviours such as illicit drug use, drinking alcohol at extreme levels and smoking tobacco. Some of these behaviours are even more extensive in prison entrants currently taking medication for a mental health disorder than those not taking medication. Three in 4 prison entrants currently taking medication for a mental health disorder have used illicit drugs in the last 12 months, more than half consumed alcohol at risky levels and nearly 90% smoked. A high proportion of prison entrants with mental health issues accessed mental health services at the prison clinic - More than half of prison entrants who experienced very high psychological distress in the past 4 weeks were referred to a prison mental health clinic. Further, about a third of prison entrants taking medication for a mental health disorder visited the clinic for a mental health issue and nearly half (48%) of this group visited the clinic 3 or more times during the 2-week National Prisoner Health Census. Details: Sydney: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2012. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Bulletin 104: Accessed July 17, 2012 at: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=10737422201 Year: 2012 Country: Australia URL: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=10737422201 Shelf Number: 125634 Keywords: Mental Health ServicesMentally Ill Offenders (Australia)Mentally Ill Prisoners |
Author: O'Connell, Fiona Title: Prisoners and Mental Health Summary: This paper is a scoping paper on issues concerning prisoners with mental health problems. Section 1 sets out the structure of the paper, outlining the content of the sections. Section 2 of the paper provides statistics, highlighting the prevalence of mental illness in the criminal justice system. Section 3 of the paper sets out the legal framework governing the admission into hospital, detention and treatment of individuals subject to criminal proceedings or under sentence. The section identifies some gaps in the legislation, in particular that the legal framework does not include personality disorder within its scope. The Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland comments that this has implications for prisons who are coping with too many personality disordered offenders. Section 4 of the paper provides information on initiatives, services and policy developments in relation to mental health and prisons. The section highlights that there have been a number of positive developments indicating an awareness of the links between mental health and offending including a diversion scheme in Musgrave Street police station, the transfer of responsibility of healthcare to the health service, policy developments on vulnerable women offenders and a consultation seeking views on community sentences. Section 5 of the paper considers research reports focusing specifically on mental health and criminal justice. The reports identify a number of issues that need to be addressed including the need for more diversion schemes, problems in information exchange between the agencies, lack of high secure facilities for the most dangerously disordered offenders, inadequate services in the community and in prisons, the need for a therapeutic environment for women offenders, and a lack of hostel accommodation for low risk offenders who require support in release. The section also identified resettlement problems for offenders with mental health issues. Section 6 of the paper highlights a number of initiatives for other jurisdictions. These include court diversion schemes in England and Wales and Australia, mental health courts in the United States and a prison in-reach and court liaison scheme in the Republic of Ireland. These schemes have had positive outcomes in diverting offenders to appropriate health services and reducing offending rates. In some jurisdictions such as Canada, diversion is used for minor offences and not violent offences. The Republic of Ireland scheme targets remand prisoners. Section 7 of the paper makes concluding remarks and highlights key issues for further consideration. Details: Belfast: Northern Ireland Assembly, 2011. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Research and Library Service Research Paper: Accessed September 1, 2012 at: http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/Documents/RaISe/Publications/2011/Justice/4611.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/Documents/RaISe/Publications/2011/Justice/4611.pdf Shelf Number: 126179 Keywords: Mental Health ServicesMentally Ill Offenders (Northern Ireland)Mentally Ill Prisoners |
Author: Guy, Anna Title: Locked Up and Locked Down: Segregation of Inmates with Mental Illness Summary: Segregation disproportionately affects inmates with mental illness, according to a report released today by the AVID Prison Project, and experts assert most inmates acquire mental illness or experience worsened symptoms as a result of conditions in segregation. Today, 80,000 to 100,000 inmates are segregated in U.S. prisons. They will remain isolated in small single person cells, 22 to 24 hours per day, for up to years at a time. Even President Obama, the first sitting president to tour a prison, recognized that mental illness can worsen in segregation and inmates with mental illness are more likely to commit suicide. Locked Up and Locked Down: Segregation of Inmates with Mental Illness chronicles advocacy efforts undertaken across the country on behalf of inmates with mental illness. The Amplifying Voices of Inmates with Disabilities (AVID) Prison Project, in partnership with the National Disability Rights Network and protection and advocacy agencies from twenty states, released the report, which calls for national prison reform measures. Details: Seattle, Disability Rights Washington, AVID Prison Project, 2016. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 13, 2016 at: http://www.disabilityrightswa.org/sites/default/files/uploads/Locked%20Up%20and%20Locked%20Down%20--%20AVID%20Prison%20Project%20PDF%20w%20Pictures%20FINAL.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.disabilityrightswa.org/sites/default/files/uploads/Locked%20Up%20and%20Locked%20Down%20--%20AVID%20Prison%20Project%20PDF%20w%20Pictures%20FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 147321 Keywords: DisabilitiesMentally Ill InmatesMentally Ill OffendersMentally Ill PrisonersPrisoner Segregation |
Author: Great Britain. National Audit Office Title: Mental health in prisons Summary: Government does not know how many people in prison have a mental illness, how much it is spending on mental health in prisons or whether it is achieving its objectives. It is therefore hard to see how Government can be achieving value for money in its efforts to improve the mental health and well being of prisoners. In 2016 there were 40,161 incidents of self-harm in prisons and 120 self-inflicted deaths. Government does not know how many people in prison have a mental illness, how much it is spending on mental health in prisons or whether it is achieving its objectives. It is therefore hard to see how Government can be achieving value for money in its efforts to improve the mental health and well being of prisoners, according to a report by the National Audit Office. Her Majesty's Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS), NHS England and Public Health England have set ambitious objectives for providing mental health services but do not collect enough or good enough data to understand whether they are meeting them. Rates of self-inflicted deaths and self-harm in prison have risen significantly in the last five years, suggesting that mental health and well-being in prison has declined. Self-harm rose by 73% between 2012 and 2016. In 2016 there were 40,161 incidents of self-harm in prisons, the equivalent of one incident for every two prisoners. While in 2016 there were 120 self-inflicted deaths in prison, almost twice the number in 2012, and the highest year on record. Government needs to address the rising rates of suicide and self harm in prisons as a matter of urgency. In 2016, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman found that 70% of prisoners who had committed suicide between 2012 and 2014 had mental health needs. The Ministry of Justice and its partners have undertaken work to identify interventions to reduce suicide and self-harm in prisons, though these have not yet been implemented. While NHS England uses health needs assessments to understand need these are often based on what was provided in previous years, and do not take account of unmet need. The NAO estimate that the total spend on healthcare in adult prisons, in 2016-17 was around $400 million. HMPPS does not monitor the quality of healthcare it pays for in the six privately-managed prisons it oversees. The prison system is under considerable pressure, making it more difficult to manage prisoners' mental well-being, though government has set out an ambitious reform programme to address this. NOMS' (National Offender Management Service) funding reduced by 13% between 2009-10 and 2016-17, and staff numbers in public prisons reduced by 30% over the same period. When prisons are short-staffed, governors may run restricted regimes where prisoners spend more of the day in their cells, making it more challenging for prisoners to access mental health services. Staffing pressures can make it difficult for prison officers to detect changes in a prisoner's mental health and officers have not received regular training to understand mental health conditions, though the Ministry plans to provide more training in future. In addition, NOMS did not always give NHS England enough notice when it has made changes to the prison estate. For example at Downview Prison NHS England was in the process of commissioning health services for a male prison, when NOMS decide to open it as a female prison instead. When NAO visited six months after it opened, the prison was still in the process of developing a healthcare service that could meet the needs of the female population. The challenges of delivering healthcare are compounded by the ageing prison estate, over a quarter of which was built before 1900 and without modern healthcare in mind. The Ministry has a programme to replace the ageing estate with modern buildings. While clinical care is broadly judged to be good, there are weaknesses in the system for identifying prisoners who need mental health services. Prisoners are screened when they arrive in prison, but this does not always identify mental health problems and staff do not have access to GP records, which means they do not always know if a prisoner has been diagnosed with a mental illness. NHS England is in the process of linking prison health records to GP records to address this. Mentally ill prisoners should wait no more than 14 days to be admitted to a secure hospital, but only 34% of prisoners were transferred within 14 days in 2016-17 while 7% (76) waited for more than 140 days. The process for transferring prisoners is complex and delays can have a negative impact on prisoners' mental health and they may be kept in unsuitable conditions such as segregation units Details: London: NAO, 2017. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed july 29, 2017 at: https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Mental-health-in-prisons.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Mental-health-in-prisons.pdf Shelf Number: 146617 Keywords: Health ServicesMental Health ServicesMentally Ill InmatesMentally Ill OffendersMentally Ill PrisonersPrison Suicide |
Author: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, Evaluation and Inspections Division Title: Review of the Federal Bureau of Prisons' Use of Restrictive Housing for Inmates with Mental Illness Summary: Introduction The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is responsible for confining offenders in environments that are safe, humane, cost-efficient, and appropriately secure. To do so, the BOP utilizes various forms of Restrictive Housing Unit (RHU) to confine certain inmates, including those with mental illness. However, according to recent research and reports, as well as the BOP's own policy, confinement in RHUs, even for relatively short periods of time, can adversely affect inmates' mental health and can be particularly harmful for inmates with mental illness. As of June 2016, of the 148,227 sentenced inmates in the BOP's 122 institutions, 9,749 inmates (7 percent) were housed in its three largest forms of RHU: Special Housing Units (SHU) in 111 institutions; 2 Special Management Units (SMU) at the U.S. Penitentiaries (USP) in Lewisburg and Allenwood, Pennsylvania; and the USP Administrative Maximum Security Facility (ADX) in Florence, Colorado. The Office of the Inspector General conducted this review to examine the BOP's use of RHUs for inmates with mental illness, including trends in the use of restrictive housing and the screening, treatment, and monitoring of inmates with mental illness who are housed in RHUs. We found significant issues with the adequacy of the BOP's policies and its implementation efforts in this critical area. Results in Brief BOP Policies Do Not Adequately Address the Confinement of Inmates with Mental Illness in RHUs, and the BOP Does Not Sufficiently Track or Monitor Such Inmates BOP guidance and policies do not clearly define "restrictive housing" or "extended placement." Although the BOP states that it does not practice solitary confinement, or even recognize the term, we found inmates, including those with mental illness, who were housed in single-cell confinement for long periods of time, isolated from other inmates and with limited human contact. For example, at the ADX, we observed an RHU that held two inmates, each in their own cell, isolated from other inmates. The inmates did not engage in recreation with each other or with other inmates and were confined to their cells for over 22 hours a day. Also, in five SHUs, we observed single-celled inmates, many with serious mental illness. One inmate, who we were told was denied ADX placement for mental health reasons, had been single-celled for about 4 years. Although the BOP generally imposes a minimum amount of time that inmates must spend in RHUs, it does not limit the maximum amount of time and does not monitor inmates' cumulative time in RHUs. The BOP also does not track its housing of inmates in single-cell RHU confinement, nor does it account for their confinement in all RHUs throughout BOP institutions. As a result, inmates, including those with mental illness, may spend years and even decades in RHUs. For example, we learned of an inmate with serious mental illness who spent about 19 years at the ADX before being transferred to a secure residential mental health treatment program. In addition, our sample of inmates with mental illness showed that they had been placed in the ADX for an average of about 69 months. Similarly, we found that between fiscal years (FY) 2008 and 2015, inmates with mental illness averaged about 896 consecutive days, or about 29 months, in the SMU. We further found that inmates with mental illness spend disproportionately longer periods of time in RHUs than their peers. Equally concerning, our review showed that 13 percent of the inmates with mental illness in our sample were released by the BOP directly into the community after spending nearly 29 months in the SMU prior to their release. By contrast, officials in six of the eight state departments of corrections told us that they limit the length of time inmates with mental illness can be placed in restrictive housing. In 2015, three states (Massachusetts, Mississippi, and New York) had at least a 30-day limit, while three other states (Colorado, Maine, and Pennsylvania) no longer placed inmates with serious mental illness in RHUs at all. Mental Health Staff Do Not Always Document Inmates' Mental Disorders, Leaving the BOP Unable to Accurately Determine the Number of Inmates with Mental Illness and Ensure that It Is Providing Appropriate Care to Them BOP data showed that, as of 2015, only 3 percent of the BOP's sentenced inmate population was being treated regularly for mental illness. Yet, the BOP's FY 2016 Performance Budget Congressional Submission cited an internal BOP study, which suggested that approximately 19 percent of federal inmates had a history of mental illness. Moreover, a 2006 Bureau of Justice Statistics report concluded that 45 percent of federal inmates had symptoms or a recent history of mental illness. We found that the BOP cannot accurately determine the number of inmates who have mental illness because institution staff do not always document mental disorders. The BOP's FY 2014 data estimates that approximately 12 percent of inmates have a history of mental illness; however, in 2015, the BOP's Chief Psychiatrist estimated, based on discussions with institutions' Psychology Services staffs, that approximately 40 percent of inmates have mental illness, excluding inmates with only personality disorder diagnoses. Similarly, one institution's Deputy Chief Psychologist estimated that 50 percent of that institution's inmates may have Antisocial Personality Disorder; nevertheless, we found that this disorder was documented for only about 3.3 percent of the BOP's total inmate population. Because mental health staffs do not always document inmates' mental disorders, the BOP is unable to ensure that it is providing appropriate care to them. Since the BOP Adopted Its New Mental Health Policy, BOP Data Shows a 30 Percent Reduction in Inmates Who Receive Regular Mental Health Treatment The BOP adopted a new mental health policy in 2014, increasing the standards of care for inmates with mental illness. However, since the policy was issued, the total number of inmates who receive regular mental health treatment decreased by approximately 30 percent, including 56 percent for inmates in SMUs, and about 20 percent overall for inmates in RHUs during the scope of our review. Based on our review, it appears that mental health staff may have reduced the number of inmates, including those in RHUs, who must receive regular mental health treatment because they did not have the necessary staffing resources to meet the policy's increased treatment standards. Indeed, we found that, as of October 2015, the BOP had filled only 57 percent of its authorized full-time Psychiatrist positions nationwide and that it had significant staffing issues with regard to Psychologist positions as well. This treatment trend was particularly pronounced among SMU inmates at USP Lewisburg, which confined over 1,100 SMU inmates as of June 2016. Based on our sample of SMU inmates, we found that, prior to the new policy, the number of inmates (16) whose mental health care level was increased equaled the number of inmates (16) whose care level was decreased. In contrast, after the new policy was adopted, all 27 inmates whose care level changed had a decrease and therefore ostensibly required less treatment. By May 2015, only about 2.5 percent of SMU inmates at USP Lewisburg were categorized as requiring regular treatment, compared to about 11 percent of ADX inmates and 7 percent of SHU inmates nationwide, which we believe raises treatment concerns for inmates in USP Lewisburg's SMU. While the BOP Has Taken Recent Steps to Mitigate Mental Health Concerns for Inmates in RHUs, Additional Actions Can Be Taken The BOP has taken a number of steps to mitigate the mental health concerns for inmates in RHUs. These efforts include diverting inmates with serious mental illness from placement in traditional RHUs (i.e., SHUs, the SMUs, and the ADX) and into alternative programs such as secure residential mental health treatment programs. While these are positive BOP initiatives, limited inmate capacities, slow inmate progression through the programs, high staffing needs, and a lack of formal performance metrics with which to measure the effectiveness of these programs limit their utility and the BOP's ability to expand their use to other institutions. Details: Washington, DC: Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice, 2017. 103p. Source: Internet Resource: Evaluation and Inspections Division 17-05 : Accessed September 20, 2017 at: https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2017/e1705.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2017/e1705.pdf Shelf Number: 147413 Keywords: Federal Bureau of PrisonsIsolationMental Health ServicesMentally Ill InmatesMentally Ill OffendersMentally Ill PrisonersRestrictive HousingSolitary Confinement |
Author: Stanford Justice Advocacy Project Title: Confronting California's continuing prison crisis: The prevalence and severity of mental illness among California prisoners on the rise Summary: The long-running problem of mental illness in California's justice system appears to be getting worse, according to data recently provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and other data presented for the first time in this report. Recent reforms to California's criminal laws have greatly improved the state's justice system: prison and jail crowding have reduced dramatically, sentences are fairer and more proportionate, recidivism rates among those freed early under the reforms are far lower than most released prisoners, and capacity to focus on dangerous crime has increased. Furthermore, since these reforms were enacted, overall crime rates in California have remained on a long-term downward trend. Despite these significant legislative and administrative reforms initiated in part to improve treatment and conditions for people with mental illness in California's justice system, the prevalence and severity of mental illness among California state prisoners are dramatically on the rise. Over 30 percent of California prisoners currently receive treatment for a "serious mental disorder," an increase of 150 percent since 2000. CDCR estimates that the population of prisoners with mental illness will continue to climb, increasing the need for additional psychiatric services in the years to come. Furthermore, there is evidence that CDCR's projections underestimate the current number of prisoners with mental illness. In addition, the severity of psychiatric symptoms of state prisoners is on the rise. The number of prisoners diagnosed with the most serious disorders and transferred to enhanced psychiatric services has increased dramatically over the past 5 years. There is also evidence that criminal defendants in California with mental illness receive longer prison sentences than defendants without mental illness. This disparity exists across all crime categories, from murder to drug possession. Prisoners sentenced to life terms are also more likely to be mentally ill. Finally, despite the substantial criminal justice reforms responsible for the dramatic reduction of California's prison population over the last decade, the population of inmates with mental illness has not decreased.8 Ironically, these reforms were largely initiated on behalf of inmates with mental illness suffering under unconstitutional treatment conditions. This report contains new and updated data about the growing problem of mental illness in California's justice system and describes how prisoners with mental illness do not benefit from some of the most important criminal justice reforms enacted in the state in recent years. Details: Stanford, California: Stanford Justice Advocacy Project, 2017. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 8, 2017 at: https://www-cdn.law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Stanford-Report-FINAL.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www-cdn.law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Stanford-Report-FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 148075 Keywords: Criminal Justice ReformMental Health ServicesMentally Ill InmatesMentally Ill OffendersMentally Ill Prisoners |
Author: Colombia Legal Services Title: Gone But Not Forgotten: The Untold Stories of Jail Deaths in Washington Summary: Only 22 years-old, Lindsay Kronberger, a four-sport athlete while in high school, battled drug addiction and ended up in jail, booked into the Snohomish County jail on January 3, 2014. Upon booking, she admitted to having recently taken heroin and that she was feeling the early stages of withdrawal. Over the next several days, Lindsay suffered terribly from severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Weighing only 95 pounds at booking and appearing "emaciated," Lindsay proceeded to lose another eight pounds while locked up. Medical professionals in the jail noted that her blood pressure fluctuated dramatically during the nine days she spent there. Desperate because of the severity of her symptoms, she begged to be taken to the hospital, but reports indicate that the jail's staff did not feel it was necessary and so she remained in the Snohomish County jail. At one point, Lindsay was so weak that she was not able to walk even a few feet from her cell. A federal judge would later note that "more intensive therapies could have been initiated to improve her hydration and reverse the deadly spiral of vomiting and diarrhea that resulted in severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance." Nine days after being booked into jail, Lindsay was found face down in her cell's toilet - dead from dehydration-triggered cardiac arrest. Lindsay's untimely death is unfortunately not an isolated incident. Every day many people suffering like her are booked into jails throughout Washington. Some, like Lindsay, die there. Many of these deaths are entirely avoidable, caused in part by society's failure to properly care for the many people with mental illness, traumatic brain injuries, cognitive disabilities, and substance use disorders who end up behind bars. Faced with the chronic failure of federal, state, and local governments to properly fund essential services, jails struggle to maintain order and treat all people humanely, respectfully, and safely. On any given night, roughly 12,500 men and women sleep behind the walls of county and local jails in Washington. Most of them have not been convicted of a crime and are there simply because they cannot afford the bail that a court has set. Those who have been convicted are generally serving short sentences for low-level crimes or minor probation violations. The majority are indigent, and many battle substance use disorders and symptoms of severe mental illness, traumatic brain injuries or cognitive disabilities. Others come to jail suffering from complicated, chronic, and poorly managed medical conditions, such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and asthma. People locked up in jails are our friends and family members. Over half of all adults in the United States have an immediate family member who has been incarcerated. Unfortunately, society has abdicated its responsibility to provide humane, cost-effective, community-based housing and treatment services for people with serious medical, mental, and behavioral health needs. Instead we spend millions of dollars a year warehousing people in our jails - institutions ill-equipped to provide appropriate and adequate care. Far too many die behind bars as a result. Jail deaths are merely the most egregious examples of the systemic failures that injure thousands of people locked up in Washington every year. The misdirection of resources to Washington's jails and away from other more effective and humane, community-based alternatives has caused unnecessary suffering and death. In this report we review deaths in Washington jails in the hope of spurring reform to ensure that no person needlessly dies behind bars. Locking people up in jail is not cheap. Washington counties and localities spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year holding people in jail. King County will spend over $320 million in the next two years to operate its jails. Spokane County spends over $43,000 per detainee per year in its jails. By comparison, Spokane Public Schools spends under $12,000 per student each year. Moreover, the allocation of millions of dollars to jails is not effective, as medical and mental health care remain seriously deficient in many jails.10 As Disability Rights Washington has noted: "while mental health treatment may prevent inmate deterioration and enhance protection from self-harm and suicidal or homicidal ideation, jails are ill-equipped to respond appropriately to the needs of individuals with mental illness seeking mental treatment." This report takes a deep look at available information regarding deaths that occurred in Washington jails between January 2005 and June 2016. On average, 17 people died every year while locked up during this period. Though a small percentage of the total population, these events highlight larger issues within the jail system, as many other people suffer severe non-deadly harms as a result of our carceral system. Our analysis of the available data on jail deaths reveals the following: - Most jail deaths occur within the first days following booking. - Drugs or alcohol played a significant role in many of the deaths, and these deaths are by and large avoidable. - Few jails appear to have effective policies and practices in place to avoid deaths caused by overdose or withdrawal from drugs or alcohol. - Suicide, particularly suicide by hanging, makes up a large percentage of deaths, and current practices in many jails may be increasing the likelihood of suicide. - Use of force or neglect by jail officers played a contributing role in a significant number of deaths. People will continue to needlessly die in jails until adequate resources are put into cheaper, community-based programs and treatment. A few relatively inexpensive reforms can reduce or eliminate deaths in Washington's jails. These reforms include: 1. Reducing the number of people living with mental illness, cognitive disabilities, or substance use disorders in jails by increasing diversion programs, eliminating the use of cash bail, and improving community-based treatment and housing options. 2. Increasing oversight and transparency by establishing reporting requirements and introducing statewide standards and monitoring of jails. 3. Implementing an adequate and timely medical, mental health, and substance use intake process in every jail that includes a thorough health examination of each person detained for more than a few days. 4. Using evidence-based overdose and withdrawal protocols in every jail that include appropriate medications and other vital medical, mental health, and substance use disorder interventions. 5. Instituting comprehensive suicide prevention policies and practices that treat all people with dignity and eliminate isolation as a method of responding to people who threaten suicide. 6. Training all staff on how to manage people in crisis, utilize effective de-escalation techniques, and only use force when absolutely necessary. 7. Providing sufficient financial resources to ensure that all jails employ enough staff to properly supervise and care for every person locked behind bars. 8. Requiring that every jail perform a comprehensive and detailed, serious incident administrative review and prepare a written report which is shared with the Washington State Department of Health or another appropriate agency and the public. Implementing these relatively few reforms will dramatically reduce the number of people injured, disabled, or killed in our jails. Details: Seattle: Author, 2019. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 13, 2019 at: https://columbialegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Gone-But-Not-Forgotten-May2019.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: https://columbialegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Gone-But-Not-Forgotten-May2019.pdf Shelf Number: 156406 Keywords: Deaths in Custody Jail Inmates Medical Care Mentally Ill Inmates Mentally Ill PrisonersSuicides in Custody |