Thousands of people arrested each year in Texas are dealing with mental health issues. Some conditions can be treated with medicine, while others require hospitalization. But the I-Team found that in too many cases, the mentally ill end up in jail before ever getting access to the doctors who can help them.
It’s an issue Collin County’s sheriff knows all too well.
Texas jails on the front line for mental health care
“We don’t have a county hospital, we don’t have a psychiatric hospital,” said Sheriff Jim Skinner. “So the biggest psychiatric hospital is the county jail.”
At the time he sat for an interview with the CBS News Texas I-Team, Skinner said roughly 40% of the people in his custody were either mentally ill or developmentally delayed…