Tiffany Swift LCSW-C
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Individuals suffering from a mental illness often
struggle with the circumstances of incarceration.
As a result, they may act out with dangerous,
annoying or bizarre behaviors.
These behaviors are often misunderstood and
viewed by authorities as disobedient or
disruptive. Thus, authorities punish them as they
would any other inmate.
When these punishments do not deter the
behaviors, authorities may resort to placing the
individual in segregation which will continue to
perpetuate their illness and behaviors.
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Setting in which an inmate is confined in his
or her cell for up to 23 hours each day
Utilized as a management tool
◦ Disruptive behavior
◦ Dangerous behavior
◦ Predatory behavior
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In cell 23 hours per day (may vary by institution)
No visitations
Solitary recreation
No work
Eat meals alone in their cell
Restricted shower schedule
Restricted commissary options
Limited/no access to television, radio, telephone
Movement from cell only when escorted in shackles
Limited/no groups or programs
No privacy when meeting with medical or mental health staff
No social contact with other inmates except verbal through cell
door
Restricted list of personal items
With written request from administration, the disciplinary meat loaf recipe
from Title 15 of the California Board of Corrections may be served.
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1 ¼ oz. dairy blend
1 ¾ oz. raw grated potato
1.5 oz. raw carrots, chopped
¾ oz. tomato juice or puree
2 ¼ oz. raw cabbage,
chopped
3.5 oz. ground turkey or rehydrated Textured Vegetable
Protein (TVP)
1 ¼ fluid oz. oil
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¾ oz. wheat flour
1/8 tsp. salt
½ egg
3 oz. dry red beans,
precooked before baking (or
16 oz. canned or cooked red
kidney beans)
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. raw onion, chopped
Shape into a loaf and bake at 350-375 degrees for 50-70 minutes
(165 degrees internal temperature).
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It is recommended that this diet be served twice in
each 24 hour period, in place of the typical three
meals per day. Each serving should consist of: onehalf of the loaf, two slices of wheat bread, and at
least one quart of drinking water.
This disciplinary diet should not be served to an
inmate who’s receiving a prescribed medical diet
without consulting a physician.
Disciplinary diet should not be used for more than
a 72 hour period.
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Sexual predators
Gang affiliates
Drug dealers
Escapees
Aggressive individuals with mental illness
Anyone who poses a threat to the safety of
staff and/or other inmates
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Anxiety
Depression
Anger
Cognitive disturbances
Perceptual distortions
Obsessive thoughts
Paranoia
Psychosis
Sleep disturbances
Impulse control
Impaired ability to think, concentrate or remember
Suicides occur disproportionately more often than
in general population
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Solitary confinement can lead to severe
psychological trauma in individuals without
a prior psychiatric disorder.
Some individuals tolerate segregation better
than others, depending on personal traits,
situational factors, and environmental
conditions.
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Psychiatric assessments
Routine follow ups
Medication management
Welfare checks (MSE)
Scheduled private sessions
Advocate for placement in special management units,
more hours out, and a more stimulating environment
Multi-disciplinary team meetings
Prompt crisis intervention
Access to acute psychiatric hospitalization
Educate correctional staff members about the unique
characteristics of this population
Implementation of Crisis Intervention Team
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http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frol02p
73&continuous=1
Locking Down the Mentally Ill. (2010). Retrieved from
http://www.thecrimereport.org/archive/locking-down-the-mentally-ill.
Mental Health Primary Care in Prison.
http://www.prisonmentalhealth.org/page_view.asp?c=17&did=271&fc=012.
Metzner, J. L., & Fellner, J. (2010). Solitary confinement and mental illness in
U.S. prisons: A challenge for medical ethics. The Journal of the American
Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 38(1). Retrieved from
http://www.hrw.org/news/2010/03/22/solitary-confinement-and-mentalillness-us-prisons.
Scott, C. L., & Gerbasi, J. B. (2005). Handbook of correctional mental health.
Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.