Are mental health services available?
A mental health screening is conducted by a nurse within four hours of arrival. Inmates may be referred for evaluation by a mental health professional at that point or at any time during the period of incarceration. Mental health professionals on staff include a psychiatrist, psychologist, and licensed clinicians who diagnose and provide treatment, and clinical case managers who assist inmates with mental illness in arranging for continuing services after they are released. Additionally, the Jennifer Road Detention Center has a Mental Health Unit, a therapeutic community designed to treat and stabilize inmates for return to general housing and ultimately, the community.
A mental health screening is conducted by a nurse within four hours of arrival. Inmates may be referred for evaluation by a mental health professional at that point or at any time during the period of incarceration. Mental health professionals on staff include a psychiatrist, psychologist, and licensed clinicians who diagnose and provide treatment, and clinical case managers who assist inmates with mental illness in arranging for continuing services after they are released. Additionally, the Jennifer Road Detention Center has a Mental Health Unit, a therapeutic community designed to treat and stabilize inmates for return to general housing and ultimately, the community.
The Department has several options for providing mental health care to those who require treatment. All major institutions can provide temporary or short-term in-patient psychiatric care for crisis management and stabilization. If chronic care is required, it is provided in specialized units. When necessary, professional mental health staff, including psychologists and psychiatrists, meet with offenders and conduct psychological and psychiatric evaluations. Staff may also provide individual and group therapy.
