Cook County Jail is exploring a powerful program that could change lives.
The population of the Cook County Jail is more than 9,000 inmates. Of them, it's estimated about 30 percent have mental health issues. At a time when state, county and city mental health centers have all but vanished, Sheriff Tom Dart has made it a priority to address the issue.
In what used to be the boot camp facility, a new day is dawning for these inmates. It is now called the mental health transition center.
Many of the inmates have mood disorders, but some face bigger challenges, like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, and most have been self-medicating themselves for years.
The first six weeks of the program, inmates receive therapy Monday through Friday for 2.5 hours, identify negative behaviors and patterns of self-abuse. The second six weeks, they get job readiness training with the goal of acing an interview for a job once on the outside.
[See the video at http://wgntv.com/2016/05/10/a-...ntal-health-program/]
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