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Developing policies for adult sexual minorities with mental health needs in secured settings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 February 2020

Juan Carlos Arguello Open the ORCID record for Juan Carlos Arguello [Opens in a new window]
Juan Carlos Arguello*
Affiliation:
Office of Medical and Psychiatric Services, Clinical Operations, California Department of State Hospitals, Sacramento, California, USA
*
*Address correspondence to: Juan C. Arguello, D.O. 1600 9th Street, Room 400, Sacramento, CA 95816, USA. (Email: juan.arguello@dsh.ca.gov)
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Abstract

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people are more likely to be disproportionally placed in a secured setting such jails, prisons, and forensic hospitals. These settings can be traumatizing, hostile, and dangerous—especially for those who are suffering from mental illness. Administrators are encouraged to develop institutional policies that undoubtedly include that LGBT residents should be free of discrimination, victimization, and abuse. LGBT residents should have equal access to safe housing, vocational programs, rehabilitation services, as well as medical and mental health treatments. Several organizations provide guidelines to ensure that LGBT residents are protected. This article provides a general roadmap for developing LGBT policies in secured settings synergizing the recommendations of some of these organizations with emphasis on policy guidelines for transgender people that are not only standards for good care but also very cost-effective interventions that can help reduce symptoms of mental illness for this population.

Keywords

LGBT policiesLGBT mental healthpreventing victimization of transgender inmatespolicies for LGBT in secure settingsdeveloping policies for LGBT inmatesLGBT mental health in jailLGBT mental health in prisons.
Type
Review
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 25 , Issue 5 , October 2020 , pp. 618 - 623
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2020

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Footnotes

The findings and conclusions in “Developing policies for adult sexual minorities with mental health needs in secured settings” are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Department of State Hospitals or the California Health and Human Services Agency.

References

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