County sheriffs have little training to deal with seriously mentally ill inmates, according to a national survey released July 14 by the Treatment Advocacy Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating barriers to severe mental illness treatment.
“The incarceration rate for Americans with serious mental illnesses has reached a critical stage because many of these individuals are predisposed by their illnesses to committing minor crimes [such as trespassing or shoplifting], landing in jails and racking up prolonged time in jail awaiting a state psychiatric bed,” a Treatment Advocacy Center press release stated. “Many of them receive no or inadequate mental health treatment during their incarceration, which worsens their conditions.”
The survey focused on county jails and tracked staff, including sheriffs, deputies and others who care for mentally ill inmates during their incarceration. They reported receiving limited training to handle the inmates. In addition, fewer than half of jails (42%) provided medication to their inmates, even though receiving medication is known to stabilize patients. The survey was given to 230 sheriffs departments in 39 states, according to the release.
“Almost half of the jails reported that only 2% or less of the initial training they provide to their staff and sheriff’s deputies was allotted to issues specifically dealing with seriously mentally ill inmates, and 60.4% reported that only two hours or less of annual training were allotted to such issues,” according to the survey report. More than 21% of all jails surveyed reported that 16% or more of their inmate population were seriously mentally ill. “Three-quarters of the jails reported seeing more or far more numbers of seriously mentally ill inmates compared to five to 10 years ago,” the survey reported.
With the limited number of patient beds available, many seriously mentally ill inmates remain in prison.
According to the report, “Going, Going, Gone: Trends and Consequences of Eliminating State Psychiatric Beds, 2016,” the nation’s psychiatric bed shortage has deteriorated to “beyond disastrous.” The survey of the states found just 3.5% of the state hospital beds that existed in 1955 were still in operation by the first quarter of 2016. Of the remaining beds, approximately half were occupied by patients charged or convicted of crimes, leaving about 6 state hospital beds per 100,000 people for civil patients, the study reported.
Source: Nurse.Com News
ABUJA: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
PORTHARCOURT: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
LAGOS: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
STOP paying for airtime and electricity, Let your phone pay its bills with ScreenT
You may also like
Comrade Lemii Christian Emerges Chairman of NANNM Rivers State Branch in Historic Victory
PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA Following the long awaited National Association of N…
FG Supports Robotic Surgery Expansion to Reduce Medical Tourism
Nigeria is taking another step toward strengthening specialised healthcare …
Complete Knee Replacement Rehabilitation Package in Lagos
Knee replacement surgery is a major step toward pain relief and improved mo…
NAMDA threatens strike over unpaid medical lecturers’ allowances
The Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) has warned…
Resident Doctors Signal End to Strike Threat After High-Level Talks with Gbajabiamila
The threat of a nationwide indefinite strike by the Nigerian Association of…
