Policy Text
CORRECTIONAL SERVICES Page 1 of 2 10/02 (REV 7/07)
MJ/RCCC
OPERATIONS ORDER
Psychiatric Services
The purpose of this Order is to standardize the procedures for providing psychiatric
services to prisoners incarcerated in the Main Jail and the Rio Cosumnes
Correctional Center (RCCC).
I. Policy
Jail Psychiatric Services (JPS) staff shall respond to requests from custody and medical
staff to screen, evaluate and treat prisoners in order to provi de necessary mental health
evaluation and treatment dur ing incarceration.
II. General Information
A. All fresh arrestees shall have a cursory evaluation of his/h er mental health
completed by the Correctional Health Services medical intake st aff at the
time of booking.
B. Prisoners identified as menta lly disordered or developmental ly disabled
through the intake medical receiv ing screening process and requ iring a
more extensive evaluation shall be referred to Jail Psychiatric Services.
C. Jail Psychiatric Service s include the following:
1. Outpatient services for eval uations and care for prisoners l ocated in
the intake area and housing units.
2. Inpatient services for care and treatment of those who have been
admitted to the Jail Psychiatric Unit. (Available only at the Main
Jail.)
D. EMERGENCY EVALUATIONS are provided to prisoners who are actively
suicidal, or as a result of a m ental disorder, display behavior which results
in destruction of property or reveals intent to cause physical harm to self
or others.
E. NON-EMERGENCY EVALUATIONS are provided to prisoners who show
signs of unusual or mentally disordered behavior.
CORRECTIONAL SERVICES Page 2 of 2 10/02 (REV 7/07)
MJ/RCCC III. Mental Health Care Procedures
A. Jail Psychiatric Services may determine that prisoners requi re special
housing and/or restrictions, and shall coordinate with a classi fication
officer in gathering and relating information about prisoners a nd what
safety precautions, if any, should be utilized.
B. JPS staff is responsible for responding to inmate message re quests for
psychiatric services.
1. The Inmate Message Request form for JPS is identifiable from
other message requests as it i s a blue colored form.
C. Any custody staff member obser ving a prisoner exhibiting men tally
disordered behavior which may be categorized as an EMERGENCY shall
immediately contact Jail Psychiatric Services and move the pris oner to an
appropriate safe location.
1. If the prisoner is in a housin g unit, the prisoner shall be moved to
an area where he/she is under the direct visual observation of
housing unit staff.
2. If the prisoner is in a booki ng cell, he/she shall be evalua ted for
placement in a safety or segregation cell.
3. Placement into a designated location for observation or plac ement
into restraints shall be done in accordance with Operations Orders
4-05, Use of Safety, Segregation, and North Holding #2, and Multipurpose Rooms and 2- 02, Use of Restraints.
D. Jail Psychiatric Services shall make the determination of wh ether, on the
basis of the completed evaluat ion, the prisoner shall be housed i n t h e
Acute Psychiatric Unit at the Main Jail or transported to the contracted
mental health care facility.
Appendices: None
Related Orders: Operations Orders 10/01, Health C are Services; 10/04, Medical
Intake Screening; 4/05 , Use of Safety, Segregation, North Holdi ng
#2, and Multipurpose Rooms; 2/02, Use of Restraints
References: Penal Code 6030, Title 15, Article 11,