SIYAD: To a lot people it might seem like mental health
issues play a little role
in people being incarcerated
but, I think it plays a big role man.
KAYLEY: An issue that we hear about frequently
when speaking with inmates in jails in King County [WA]
is that many inmates have to wait
to have a mental health appointment
for so long that they end up leaving the jail
before they can talk to a provider.
SIYAD: My name is Siyad Shamo.
Currently in custody in King County, downtown.
I recently got diagnosed at Sound Mental Health
with PTSD [Posttraumatic Stress Disorder] and
a severe case of PTSD
and I came in here, and I told them about it.
I told them what's going on,
I told them that I got diagnosed on the outs [outside]
I wrote them a kite.
I told them my conditions were worsening...
Hearing voices.
You know, I can't pay attention. I can't concentrate
and I haven't got no response back.
KAYLEY: He was scheduled for a psychiatric
appointment eight weeks out,
which is the wait time that most people at that jail
have to wait to be seen by a mental health provider,
and Siyad only spent two weeks at that jail.
The average length of stay in most jails in Washington
is two to three weeks,
so scheduling mental health appointments
out two to three months
results in denying care
to many people who need it.
SIYAD: I... to tell you the truth,
it's getting to the point where
you don't wanna do nothin' about it no more
you're like, nobody cares, why should I care?
It's probably not that serious.
Since they're not really worried about it,
why should I be worried about it?
KAYLEY: Another issue that we see across the state,
and really across the country is
that there's not centralized
oversight over jails,
and there's no uniform standards
applied to jails.
We met with Siyad at two jails in King County
he informed both jails of his diagnosis,
his outside provider, his past treatment,
and his current symptoms,
and at the 1st jail he was housed in minimum custody,
which means he can move around freely
and interact with other people
The 2nd jail housed Siyad in administrative segregation
or solitary confinement,
which means that he was confined to his cell
for 23 hours a day.
And this is when study after study is concluding that
solitary confinement is extremely harmful for people,
especially people with mental illness
SIYAD: So you're in your cell by yourself all day
you get an hour out a day,
and sometimes, you might get your hour out
at 1AM, at night.
You know what I mean,
it depends on where they start from.
Sometimes you might get 8AM in the morning,
so you don't even know.
You're just thinking to yourself,
talking to yourself.
and this is hard man, it's hard.
KAYLEY: So, the same person
was treated completely differently
by two different jails, in the same county,
from one day to another.
KAYLEY: How long did they talk to you for?
SIYAD: Like five minutes.
KAYLEY: Okay.
SIYAD: ...like five minutes, yeah. They just, they told me:
Are you suicidal?
Are your eating your food?
KAYLEY: Siyad received a response to
his request for treatment
the day before he was released.
So, he didn't receive mental health treatment
from either jail.
SIYAD: They're not helping
and even if they are trying to help,
they're not doing it on time, you know.
KAYLEY: Okay.
SIYAD: So, I don't know what to do.