Note: This program originally aired August 4, 2016.
According to a survey conducted by Public Citizen and the Treatment Advocacy Center, U.S. state prisons and county jails have as many as 10 times more seriously mentally ill inmates than state psychiatric hospitals.
These inmates are vulnerable and need special care because of their conditions. Many jails and prisons have internal divisions to care for the mentally ill, and many seek the help of outside mental health services.
Here to talk about the treatment options for local inmates with mental illness in jail are Court and Jail Services Division Commander for the Hamilton CountySheriff?'sOffice, Major CharmaineMcGuffey; Director of the Mental Health Unit at the Hamilton County Justice Center, Dr. Roy Fouch; and Associate Director of Talbert House, Joanna Lowry.