By Nathianiel P. Morris, Photo: Ed Freeman/Getty Images, The Guardian, January 12, 2023
I scroll through the psychiatry consult list and add Mr C to my list of patients to see. He was transferred from a jail in another county to the jail where I work, where he has never been before, and I’ve been asked to see him for a psychiatric assessment.
As I review his chart, a pattern slowly emerges. An older Black man, Mr C has been arrested a few times over the years, typically for vague charges such as trespassing or disorderly conduct that are difficult to interpret. Is he truly menacing to people around him, or is he just trying to survive while living on the streets? He has little history of mental illness or substance use, except for an issue that seems to arise whenever he is brought to jail: he starts yelling that he doesn’t want to live any more.
When he’s incarcerated, Mr C becomes so distressed that he tears his clothing or sobs loudly throughout the night, to the point where other incarcerated people or custody staff get upset with him. He has been placed on suicide watch in padded jail cells, sent to emergency departments and seen by various mental health professionals, and usually these symptoms resolve within days after he enters jail or when he’s released.
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