NCJ Number
165487
Date Published
1991
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This chapter identifies reasons why jails must be attentive to the mental health needs of their inmates, suggests why jails have not been generally effective in providing mental health services, and proposes steps to remedy this condition.
Abstract
Even though the law is not clear on all issues regarding the mentally ill, the number of jail inmates generally considered to be mentally ill is increasing. Further, the law is unclear on the standards of care for jail inmates who may suffer from mental or emotional problems, who are mentally retarded, or who may manifest other problems, such as alcohol or drug addiction or suicidal tendencies, that are considered treatable by mental health service providers. Nonetheless, local jails may be subject to standards of care through civil litigation if an inmate is physically or psychologically injured due to a mental health problem while confined in a jail. Standards of care derived from case law, however, are not clear or comprehensive enough to be used directly as policy. It is the responsibility of jail administrators to accept the general-standard-of-care mandates imposed on them and to alter it into operational policies and procedures. This task is complicated by imprecise legal standards, ambiguous legislative mandates, organizational inertia, staff reluctance and resistance to change, and the public's perception of the role of the local jail. Legislatures must clearly articulate a new mission statement that recognizes the jail as a community confinement center for social problems that cannot be managed by other social institutions. Outmoded thinking about jails obstructs the articulation of public policy that conforms to current inmate care standards and limits the resources and support needed to bring jails into the 1990's and beyond. 6 notes