Do prisoners have rights to mental health treatment?
Regardless of the level of jail, all prisoners evidencing signs of serious mental disorder must be referred to the jail physician, or other qualified mental health professional or agency, for appropriate psychiatric or psychological services or other courses of necessary treatment. The referral and the delivery of treatment services by mental health professionals must be documented and communicated to appropriate jail medical staff. Jails must have written policies and procedures to address suicide prevention, detection, intervention, response, and review of incidents. No prisoner can be denied medical attention for disciplinary reasons or on the basis of classification status.
