Another failure of the mental health system

T

TeDo

Guest
You aren't kidding. She needs some serious psychiatric hospital or Residential Treatment Center (RTC) time. Problem is, crimes are punished with jail time and even if she were sentenced to a psychiatric hospital stay, there is nothing to MAKE an adult take their medications. THAT is where the problem lies if you ask me.
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
I spent 24 years working in the prison system and you simply would not believe how many of the inmates are on some type of medications for mental health issues. The psychiatrist and mental health staff are overloaded with cases and stay busy all the time. This is all well and good while they are incarcerated. They are called up to the clinic every day where a nurse gives them their medication and makes sure that they have swallowed it. But eventually almost all of these inmates will be released, many of them without families, homes or jobs to go to. And suddenly it's up to THEM to find mental health care on their own, get the proper medications, and take them they way they're supposed to! Very few of them do. So it's no wonder that so many of them "fall through the cracks".
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
Donna, the whole system has so many problems and I agree that the staff is diligent in dispensing medications to the inmates. on the other hand I completely believe that alot of imates should be outmates. There are so many people incarcerated who could go through local drug courts or local mental health courts (not available in my area).

Really the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch of government have all kinds of oversight and freedom of information access. The Judicial branch and the State's Attorneys offices seem to be free to pack the prisons with-o any viable watchdog. It' really sad. DDD
 
Top