My boyfriend is currently in Monroe County Correctional Facility in NY. He has been diagnosed by his primary care doctor AND a mental health professional with having bi-polar disorder AND severe depression/anxiety. He was taking medications prior to his arrest and is now being refused the treatment.
His lawyer won’t do anything about it and the nurses in jail say that he “doesn’t have mental health problems.” I personally have gathered notices from his doctors stating his condition and the medications that he needs to be taking, and turned them into the jail administration.
After 2 weeks, still nothing is being done. And they still tell him that he doesn’t need the medication. He is due to be released soon. What information do we need to gather to file a complaint or start a lawsuit against the jail? Is there anything that he needs to do, while inside jail, that could help our case?
Any and all information regarding inmate rights to mental health medications would be appreciated. Thank you.
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Answer
Dear Emily,
Being in prison is difficult enough. Being denied one’s medications, especially for such a serious condition, makes things all the worse.
Unfortunately, unless your boyfriend is able to prove the denial of his medications caused him to suffer serious pain and discomfort, or resulted in an exacerbated mental condition, there is little evidence upon which your boyfriend can support a lawsuit he might consider filing.
Of course, he can file a complaint with the prison board, but you probably know that will do little, if any good, whether for other prisoners or for your boyfriend.
Since he will be released soon, the best thing to do is wait for your boyfriend to be released so he can return to his previous doctors and once again be placed on those meds which he needs. At this point, he just doesn’t have a viable case against the prison, or the State of New York.
Learn more here: Jail and Prison Inmate Injury Claims
The above is general information. Laws change frequently, and across jurisdictions. You should get a personalized case evaluation from a licensed attorney.
Find a local attorney to give you a free case review here, or call 888-972-0892.
We wish you the best with your claim,
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