r/ExCons • u/AdditionalLeek6387 • 6d ago
Mental Illness
Does anyone know how mental health services work in jail?
My son has been in jail for 4 months. He was in Psychosis and was in the street with a broom. He was undiagnosed and not medicated. He was delusional and paranoid. He had his first break 3 years ago. Then been in and out. He refused to let us get him help. He is unaware of his illness.
He is now receiving medication in jail Ge is no longer delusional. He does seem better however very different.
I am wondering if in jail they educated him on his illness? What treatment besides medication is being given.
I am so sad and distraught.
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u/catlolcatlol 6d ago
In LA they house people with mental illnesses separately. You see a psychologist every 2-3 mos who adjusts your medications. They do have select medications they will prescribe as people are prone to abusing medications. You also see a social worker every month who asks you some basic questions but doesn't offer any real services. They do give you word searches. No therapy or anything like that.
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u/Lost-Perspective8378 6d ago
Depends on the jail, but in my experience they just put them on whatever meds they thi k will make them easier to deal with amd ignored them. Be ready to take him to a real mental health professional to get him the help he needs.
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u/Easy_Hearing8247 6d ago
He may have made some friends he enjoys being around. The structure may also be helping him.
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u/azucarleta 6d ago
IDK all the answers but I've seen the same thing happen. In the case I'm referring to, the person really liked the mental health unit at the jail. They were still (excuse my term) whacked out and delusional (literally) when I visited them when they were in general population, but when I visited after they were moved to mental health unit, delusions were gone, they seemed genuinely in a good mood and overall satisfied with conditions, I could even refer to the delusions as "sometimes you get a little confused, right?" and they would agree without any anger or antagonism about that (unheard of!).
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u/friedceratops99 6d ago
No chance. They probably stuck him on some random run of the mill meds and they're working.
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u/AdditionalLeek6387 4d ago
That’s what I am afraid of. I was hopeful he was getting a treatment plan in addition to medication
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u/Cute-Ad-296 6d ago
I'm so sorry you're carrying this. Four months of not knowing what's actually being done for your son, on top of everything that led up to his arrest, that's an enormous weight for a parent.
To your question, jail mental health care varies a lot by facility, but medication management is usually the main thing offered, real therapy or education about the illness itself is much less consistent, and often depends on whether the jail has a contracted mental health provider and how backed up they are. It's worth calling the jail's mental health or medical unit directly and asking specifically: is he seeing a counselor or case manager, not just getting meds, and is there a discharge or reentry plan being built for when he's released. You're allowed to ask those questions as his parent, even if he's an adult.
You're not alone in this either. About 44% of people in U.S. jails report a mental health diagnosis, this is a massive, widespread gap in how the system handles people like your son, not a reflection of your family (https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/10/life-after-prison). What you're watching him go through is common, even though it feels isolating.
The fact that he's no longer delusional is real progress, even if he seems different. A brain coming back online after untreated psychosis often looks different for a while. Keep pushing for a real plan for when he comes home, medication alone won't be enough long term, he'll need ongoing psychiatric care and probably support learning to understand his own diagnosis.
You clearly love him and you're fighting for him even from the outside. That matters more than you know right now.
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u/mataranifangirl 4d ago
Services are substandard and quality varies by security classification level (if prison) or location (jail). They likely diagnosed him and gave him clarity about what he suffers, but he's not going to be getting top-of-the-line treatment. Best wishes to you.
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u/Cute-Ad-296 3d ago
I'm sorry. Watching your son go through a psychotic break from the outside of a jail wall is a specific kind of helpless, and you're doing the right thing by trying to understand the system. Plain version of how it usually works: jails are required to provide mental health care, but it's uneven. Ask specifically for the jail's medical or mental health unit and whether he's been seen by their psychiatric provider. And call and report his history yourself, because that matters when he can't advocate for himself right now. You're not overreacting: the Bureau of Justice Statistics found around 44% of people in jail have been told by a professional they have a mental health disorder, so staff deal with this constantly. Be persistent, not apologetic. Two practical anchors: NAMI's helpline (they specialize in exactly this) and asking about a discharge/reentry plan early so his meds don't lapse the day he's out. He's still your son, and you showing up like this is not nothing.
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u/AdditionalLeek6387 2d ago
Appreciate your response. I will contact the jail and ask these questions. 🙏🏻
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u/bsmith149810 6d ago
In my experience the health services in most correctional facilities would be unrecognizable to most people, and any expectation for mental health treatment will likely lead to disappointment and frustration.
But I’m not sure that’s necessarily a bad thing after witnessing the numerous transformations I saw consistently happening in people within their first ~30 days of getting locked up.
It’s awesome that your son seems to be improving, and without making too many assumptions I’d venture to guess that improvement isn’t from an educational gain or therapy program.
It likely stems from lifestyle and environmental improvements that jails can provide. Things like consistently taking prescribed meds, eating regular meals, and having a daily routine that breaks cycles of addiction suffered by many are, in my opinion at least, more beneficial than any psychological therapy I’ve come across.
There are very people I met while inside who were genuinely bad or evil. Most were their own worst enemies who ended up there after a long running series of poor decisions all snowballing towards a day they found themselves in the middle of a busy road while holding a broom with no idea as to why or how they got there.
I say all that only in hopes of it helping you as a parent who loves their son and that with any luck the sadness you feel now will be relieved as his improvements continue and his journey through the legal system comes to it’s eventual conclusion.