Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury Looks at Mental Health Care

Over the next few days, we’re going to be posting the 2018-2019 Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury reports. They are easy to read and informative.

This is a press release from the Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury:

This is the third report from the 2018-2019 Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury. The report examines mental health care provided in the Humboldt County Correctional Facility, and is titled:

The Last Resort

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury’s investigation concerned the delivery of mental health care by the Humboldt County Correctional Facility (HCCF) in light of five decisions made by the United States Supreme Court and California legislators and voters. The Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, enacted in the early 1970s, resulted in an increase in the number of mentally ill people who are placed in jail because there is nowhere else for them to go. The Supreme Court’s Brown v. Plata decision meant that as California’s prisons emptied, the county jails’ populations grew. Many of the health care issues which had been the State’s responsibility now became the county’s. Assembly Bill 109, Proposition 47, and Proposition 57 have resulted in even more problems. The HCCF is now housing more “experienced” inmates for longer periods of time. The new inmates tend to be older with more mental health problems; the new type of inmate has created a different environment in the facility, with racial issues being more prevalent and with violence increasing.

Our in-depth study found the Department of Health and Human Services mental health staff working in the jail is not able to provide an adequate standard of care due to the number of inmates staff is expected to treat, in a facility that is not equipped for mental health services, and with inadequate staffing and funding. Those who work in the correctional facility are dedicated to doing the best they can to serve their patients, but they are hindered by the conditions under which they must work. These factors not only affect the jail population and its staff, but also the community as a whole.

July 16, 2019

Redheaded Blackbelt

By Oliver Cory