Don't Have a Mental Health Crisis in Florence...

 

...or Huntsville or perhaps any city in Alabama. That being said, our state legislature has done nothing to ensure that victims of mental illness receive prompt and safe treatment. In other words, if a citizen of Florence has a psychotic episode, the Lauderdale County Detention Center is not prepared to care for him due to both a lack of funding and training.

Some things we can at least understand, but a "hole in the wall" between cells? The city can't afford brick masons or whoever repairs such damage? Here's a troubling story that our county commission should address. At least the victim's injuries were not life threatening:

My brother suffers from schizophrenia and had an episode Friday night and he was sure he was in danger and was carrying a knife around at my mom's and went outside with the knife so was arrested. The police officer assured it would be best for him to go and calm down there because he would be by himself due to his mindset.

He was put in a holding cell until Saturday afternoon sometime and as soon as the officer turned his back to leave the other inmates in A8 asked if anyone knew him and because no one did he was jumped.

Officers got him out and put in the cell beside that one, A6 I believe and he said there was a hole in the wall that A8 could talk through and they had the other guys jump him. The inmates justify this by being over crowded and wanting no one new in their cell because some do not have beds as it is. He was taken to the nurse and given ibuprofen and a bandaid over his bleeding ear and put back in a holding cell. 

Asking to use the phone after he was never allowed to, he fell asleep soon after and woke up Monday. He was told by inmates in the holding cell that they had been trying to wake him to check on him and get him to eat but wasn't able to get him to come to. He was released Monday evening/night and not allowed to use the phone for a ride and walked with only a t-shirt on in the cold with a swollen face! 

He has medication to take daily they did not send with him and only gave him on Monday and not at the proper time that is clearly stated on the bottle, these medicines are for his mental state!

Obviously, there are several problems that need to be addressed here; however, besides a lack of jail maintenance, overcrowding seems to be the major factor in this situation. Will Lauderdale get a new jail anytime soon? Will Colbert County?

It may not be popular to say,  but pandemic relief funds could go a long way to solving many of these problems. What say you, county commissions?