Mentally ill increasing strain on US prison system

Gerald · 02-23-11, 08:58 AM

The county jail in Virginia Beach granted the BBC access to report on the difficulties of dealing with mentally ill inmates

Treating mental illness is always a challenge, but in the US, after decades of declining funding for mental health care, the burden is increasingly falling on the prison system. The BBC was granted access to a local jail in the state of Virginia to see first-hand how staff and inmates are coping.

In Virginia Beach, a city on America's east coast, 260 of the roughly 1,400 inmates in the county jail are being treated for mental illnesses.

The local sheriff, Ken Stolle, told the BBC that most weeks, he has more inmates in his jail suffering from mental illnesses than the state's system has beds.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12532538

Note: 22 February 2011 Last updated at 23:15 GMT

02-23-11, 08:58 AM	#1
Gerald SUBSIM Newsman Join Date: May 2008 Location: Close to sea Posts: 24,254 Downloads: 553 Uploads: 0	Mentally ill increasing strain on US prison system The county jail in Virginia Beach granted the BBC access to report on the difficulties of dealing with mentally ill inmates Treating mental illness is always a challenge, but in the US, after decades of declining funding for mental health care, the burden is increasingly falling on the prison system. The BBC was granted access to a local jail in the state of Virginia to see first-hand how staff and inmates are coping. In Virginia Beach, a city on America's east coast, 260 of the roughly 1,400 inmates in the county jail are being treated for mental illnesses. The local sheriff, Ken Stolle, told the BBC that most weeks, he has more inmates in his jail suffering from mental illnesses than the state's system has beds. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12532538 Note: 22 February 2011 Last updated at 23:15 GMT __________________ Nothing in life is to be feard,it is only to be understood. Marie Curie