Inmate Dies at Virginia Jail Awaiting Medical Help

Image of victim Jamycheal Mitchell.

Ifreepress.com

On August 19, A mentally ill inmate died in a Virginia jail while he waited to be sent to a mental hospital , reported the Washington Post. At age 24, Jamycheal Mitchell was sent to Hampton Roads Regional Jail after stealing $5 worth of products from a 7-11. The theft of a Zebra Cake, a Mountain Dew and a Snickers Bar sent this unstable young man to his death.

Other inmates reported seeing Mitchell naked and covered in his own filth as he displayed increasing signs of severe mental illness. He refused to eat and take his medication but the jail denies any wrong doing.

Officials claim that Mitchell was treated like any other patient and perhaps that was the issue at hand: Mitchell was not the average inmate. He had mental issues and needed proper treatment and living quarters.

After Mitchell was diagnosed by a psychologist on May 30, Portsmouth General District Court Judge Morton V. Whitlow ordered for Mitchell to be sent to Eastern State Hospital for treatment. But the hospital had no beds available for him, so he stayed in jail.

Officials in Virginia say that there are 89 mentally ill inmates waiting to be sent to appropriate facilities. The overall number of mentally ill inmates has increased over the years, as have psychiatric admissions to hospitals.

There are 10 times more mentally ill people in jails and prisons than there are in mental hospitals nationwide, according to The Treatment Advocacy Center. Jails and prisons are not equipped to treat these patients properly, which leads to tragedies like this.


Issues |Death|Health, Mental


Region |Virginia

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