Friday, January 21, 2005

Experts: Florida Not Meeting Mental Health NeedsStory in The Ledger - "Of about 2,400 inmates in the Polk County Jail, 23.5 percent typically are on medicines for mental-health problems or are getting treatment, Judd said. That's more than 560 inmates and far more than the jail's special-needs units can handle, even with 16 women's beds and 32 men's beds set aside. Inmates with the most severe mental problems go there. Jails and prisons are the largest group of psychotropic treatment centers in Florida, said Peace River Center's Bennie Allred, whose job involves supervising community programs for the mentally ill."