Essex County is launching a partnership with Silver Lake Hospital to provide mental health care for inmates at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark, establishing a pathway for eligible individuals to receive psychiatric treatment outside the prison setting. Under the program, inmates are screened for safety and clinical appropriateness and, if approved, transferred to Silver Lake Hospital for psychiatric treatment, medication management, stabilization, and continuity of care in a medical environment. Essex County has already had about 120 inmates successfully complete the program, with 22 inmates currently receiving treatment at Silver Lake Hospital.
The initiative responds to longstanding concerns about mental health care at the facility. A 2022 report from the Essex County Civilian Task Force identified mental health care as a chief concern, noting that “staffing across all sectors of the jail is spread thin” and that in mental and behavioral health, this “only allows for attention to the most urgent cases.” Multiple lawsuits have been filed on behalf of prisoners with mental illnesses who died or were severely injured at the facility, highlighting the urgency of reform. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 44 percent of people in jail nationally have a mental illness, underscoring an urgent need for correctional systems to coordinate with clinical providers.
Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo Jr. praised the partnership, saying it will enable inmates with mental health issues to receive “treatment they need in a more supportive and nurturing environment.” Silver Lake Hospital has 40 other patients from other jail facilities in its specialized unit and has an application pending with the New Jersey Department of Health to expand the unit by an additional 38 beds.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://patch.com/new-jersey/newarknj/essex-county-prison-inmates-get-mental-health-care-nearby-hospital