Share this @internewscast.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alameda County in Northern California violated civil rights by failing to provide proper mental health services, especially in a jail where dozens of people have committed suicide, according to federal report released Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Justice took aim at conditions for people with serious mental health issues, specifically in the Santa Rita Jail, where a woman killed herself April 2. It was the second suicide at the jail this year and the 20th since 2014.

The federal report said there was “reasonable cause” to believe that conditions at the jail in Dublin violated the U.S. Constitution and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The report said the county failed to provide services to people with mental health disabilities, including those at risk of suicide, too often puts them in isolation, and unnecessarily ships them off to mental hospitals or other restrictive housing.

“On any given day in Alameda County, hundreds of people are institutionalized for lengthy stays at one of several large, locked psychiatric facilities” or at John George Psychiatric Hospital, said a Department of Justice statement.

People with mental health disabilities “find themselves unnecessarily cycling in and out of psychiatric institutions and jails because they lack access to proven services that would allow them to recover and participate in community life,” Pamela S. Karlan of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in the statement.

Sgt. Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department that operates the jails, said the department already was working on dealing with issues mentioned in the report and in an ongoing 2018 federal lawsuit that made similar allegations.

A federal judge is overseeing the progress, he said.

The Santa Rita Jail has about 2,200 inmates, making it one of the largest jails or prisons in the nation.

Kelly estimated that close to half of the inmates at the jail have mental health issues, many of them serious.

“At the end of the day, this boils down to millions and millions of dollars in staffing … in clinicians and facilities,” he said. “We need a proper criminal justice mental health facility that’s connected to the (overall) mental health system. We’re working on all of that.”

This story has been corrected to state that 20 deaths at the Santa Rita Jail since 2014 have been ruled suicides.

Source: huffpost

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Pulitzer Prize Board Requests Access to Trump’s Financial and Psychological Records

President Donald Trump listens to a question from a reporter as he…

Gainesville Intruder Arrested: Shocking Door-Kicking Burglary Unveiled

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Early this morning, a 25-year-old man named Likeeyo Ranard…

Tragic Shooting at Brown University: 2 Lives Lost, 9 Injured – Authorities Detain Key Suspect

A tragic shooting unfolded at Brown University in Providence on Saturday evening,…

Controversial Verdict: Mother Escapes Jail Time After Shocking Admission in Infant Smothering Case

Share A Missouri mother has managed to avoid additional prison time despite…

Judge Grants Trump Opportunity to Challenge Release of Special Counsel Report

Main: Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump attends a news conference with Speaker of…

Gainesville Resident Detained for DUI and Allegedly Threatening $100k Bounty on Officer

Staff Report GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a dramatic incident last night, 31-year-old…

Tragic Incident: Man Fatally Strangles Girlfriend in Presence of Children on Amtrak Train

Angelo Valentino Mantych (Denver District Attorney’s Office) For nearly seven years, Angelo…

Ambulance Hijacking Turns Deadly: Woman Fatally Shot, Police Report

Background: Chavis Rd. in Red Springs, N.C. (Google Maps). Inset: Cheyenne Woods…

Tragic Resolution to Love Triangle: Pregnant Tennessee Woman Found Deceased, Victim of Violent Assault

Authorities have apprehended two individuals following the discovery of a pregnant woman’s…

Online Encounter Turns Deadly: Man Murders Girlfriend and Escapes with New Lover – Police Reveal Shocking Details

Share A tragic incident unfolded in Georgia, where a man is accused…

Global Shockwaves: Bondi Beach Terror Attack Sparks Worldwide Reactions

The deadly gunshots fired at Bondi Beach in yesterday evening’s terror attack…

Lawsuit Alleges Students Confined in ‘Dungeon’ as Form of Discipline and Intimidation

Left inset: Security footage that allegedly shows a Milwaukee Public Schools employee…