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Florida Prison Boss Initiates Mental Health Reforms
October 6, 2014
Florida inmates with severe mental illnesses will have an ombudsman to represent them, and prison staff will undergo more training under the latest reforms initiated by Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Michael Crews.
Crews announced the changes, including the creation of a “mental health ombudsman” position. The ombudsman, the first in the country according to a press release issued by Crews’s office, will serve as a liaison for about 1,000 mentally ill inmates in inpatient units and will report to the department’s director of mental health services, Dean Aufderheide, who made the recommendations.
Up to 20 percent of the 100,000 inmates in Florida prisons have diagnosed mental conditions requiring treatment, Crews said in the release.
“We are committed to ensure our actions are reflective of the department’s mission to promote public safety and the safety of our staff and our inmates by providing them appropriate security, supervision, and care,” he said.
The mental-health care reforms are among a slew of initiatives launched by Crews in the wake of reports earlier this year by The Miami Herald about inmate deaths. Darren Rainey, a mentally ill inmate at Dade Correctional Institution, died in 2012 after guards allegedly forced him to stand under scalding water for hours.
On Friday, Crews also announced that the department has expanded crisis-intervention training for correctional officers to help them better understand and cope with mentally ill inmates. More than 2,700 officers have received the training so far, according to Crews.
by The News Service of Florida
Comments
2 Responses to “Florida Prison Boss Initiates Mental Health Reforms”
wow, they are not mentally ill when they go to prison, or they would not have been found stable to stand trial. So now that takes us to WHY they have mental issues ?
Well that would be because they only have AC in the Mental Dorms. Looks to me like the State needs to review the number of Mentally ill during the summer month V/S the number in the winter months. So this is another way the State protects the criminals, and puts our Correctional Officers life at risk, Where are the Honest working men / ladies rights ??????????? Yes play mentally ill , hurt an officer and you get what??? Locked down with AC , wow that a harsh punishment !
Mr Crews should also realize that as a CO’s job proficiency increases, so does that CO’s worth to the organization increase. Pay increases should follow this increase of knowledge and responsibility, otherwise what incentive is there for self improvement within the corrections system…