You could also talk with the Chaplain's office and see if he/she has any direction or the Warden/Superintendent.

I can tell you medical care in prisons is not the best. I had to fight the entire time my brother was in prison in Delaware for 90 days. He kept getting a run around and I contacted the Warden's office and then went to the Governor's office. Be prepared to be a squeaky wheel to get care for him.

You can find links for all the prison web sites at friendsofinmates.com. They usually hve plenty of information. You can also find other resources on friendsofinmates.com which may help. Good luck and don't give up. I have found that outsiders are more apt to get attention for the inmate than the inmate himself.

During intake they are to be evaluated- but this screening is often not enough. I think finding the counselor would be helpful...Or if there are others who interact with him on a regular basis- ie if he is involved in rograms and they can corroborate what you have seen/noticed- it could be helpful to hav ethe observations coming from within the system.

Thanks to everyone - I will start calling & checking and doing all the 'leg work' Kim

I have found that it is almost impossible to get any medical attention for inmates. Some of the stories my son has told me are unbelievable. One guy fell and begged for medical attention for 28 days without any response. He finally passed out one day. His eyes had come loose from his eye sockets. No one cares.

i would try and talk to his counselor there they will at least point you in the right direction. He may have to intiate the eval. But they can tell you that.

I just receive a letter from my nephew that he has been refuse medical he has a skin rash all oer his body and mouth. I email the jail and on Monday I am going to try and gt the chaplain # if that do not work I am going to email the state attorney. I do not have a phone for him to call me on so I depend on letters, I am going to find a judge in that area and I will write him to. What do you think?

I have no idea if it works this way in regular prison but military prison the inmate has forms he has to fill out for everything....that is the way my son has got the attention to matters that otherwise were ignored.

He fills out paperwork and soon they give attention to his needs...maybe there are forms he can fill out too to help himself.

Just a thought!
Welcome to the group!

Love Rhea

We had a mental evaluation done by an outside party. We set it up through his lawyer but it was costly ( around $900 ). The problem with that was even though they make recommendations about meds and therapy many prisons/ jails can't facilitate that kind of care. With my husband they told him that he didn't come in on medication he would have to wait until he got out to get it. Many prisons have some sort of counseling program but if he is bipolar that may not be enough. Check to see if they allow you to fill prescription meds and send those, that way if he is prescribed anything he will have a better chance of actually getting it.

I have a daughter sitting in a county jail awaiting transfer for the past 3 mths. She is bipolar, adhd and borderline personality disorder. All of these were diagnosed a few years back. She used meth a few years to deal. Finally she is in lock up. She tried to get an eval and was ignored. Last week she put in a written grievence (or something like it) and stated that she would be looking into getting a mental health advocate from MHMR outside the facility. They will help get the ball rolling. Funny that this week she will be seen by MHMR for eval. You might try calling your local MHMR or the one closest to the prison he is in. Bless you for trying. It is so hard to help them when they finally reach out for help. It is like one brick wall after another.