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Volusia County Florida ACLU Advocates Humane Treatment For Mentally Ill Prisoners
At the next meeting of the Volusia County Council on Thursday, August 7, 2008 in Deland, The Volusia County/ Flagler County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, along with mental health professionals and concerned citizens, will call on the council to take appropriate strong action toward more humane treatment of mentally ill persons who are detained in the county facility.
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The ACLU acknowledges that earlier this year the council, encouraged by a coalition of faith-based organizations, enacted a few policies, procedures and some legislation to protect mentally ill inmates in the county jail facility. However the one major issue that has not been addressed is the service provider.
 Currently psychiatric services at the Volusia County Jail are being supplied through a contract with Prison Health Services, Inc — a jail health provider widely criticized locally and nationally in lawsuits regarding inmates not receiving psychotropic medication. The ACLU does not want PHS’ contract to be renewed based on the history of numerous complaints, including lawsuits against the company. Allegations range from neglect and malpractice to violations of the 8th and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
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The ACLU encourages the county to contract with a reputable local provider, a group with a vested interest in the community, to provide the professional services needed for mentally ill inmates, thus making the county officials and jail officials accountable to the community for treatment of those who are to receive mental health services while imprisoned.
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“Our ACLU chapter has received several complaints from inmates and their families regarding Prison Health Services’ treatment. The Public Defender’s office has reported roughly a hundred complaints, including a dozen or so cases in which the defendants were incapable of assisting in their own defense,†due to PHS, Inc withholding psychotropic medication, said George Griffin, president of the Volusia County/Flagler County ACLU.Â
Dr. Joyce Hamilton Henry, the Director of the ACLU Foundation, Central Florida Region, added that “We must remember that these inmates have been charged, but not convicted of any crime. Their dignity as well as mental health must be respected and maintained.â€
 The American Civil Liberties Union is a national organization, founded in 1920, with 53 locally based affiliates and associated chapters. The group works through litigation, legislation, and community education in order to successfully carry out its mission to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.Â
The ACLU claims more than a half million members nationwide with officials reporting an increase in membership of 20 percent the direct result of the debate concerning an acceptable balance of civil liberties and security including the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act following the attacks of September 11, 2001.
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Lawsuits brought by the ACLU have influenced the development of sound Constitutional law. The ACLU provides legal assistance in cases in which it considers civil liberties to be at risk.
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