21-065 - CJC Mental Health Aftercare Services

The El Paso County CJC recognizes the need for continuation of care for individuals experiencing mental illness who are transitioning from incarceration to community.  There has been an identified gap in services for incarcerated individuals to receive psychiatric care as they are released from jail and return to community.  With many incarcerated individuals being held on “pre-sentence” status, there is an inability to establish post release psychiatric services for continuation of medication prior to release.  These transitioning individuals require unscheduled psychiatric appointments within one week of this release. 
 
The CJC recognizes the burden this process has to the community and the ability to make psychiatric services available to client with little to no prior notice.  As a result, it is the intention of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office to provide a contractual service(s) agreement, funded by the Sheriff’s Office to bridge the gap in services to the mentally ill population.