Former inmates and those being released are getting another chance.
The Jail Mental Health Pilot Program is aiding women who have a mental illness prepare for life after the Prince William-Manassas Adult Detention Center.
Prince William County has received an estimated $351,900 grant from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services for the program.
It assists participants in their job search, according to a release from the county.
“Some of the ladies never really had jobs, so they don’t know what they want to do,” Resident in Counseling Jail Therapist Tamara Carter said in a release. “We talk to them about what they can do within the scope of their criminal. Some job opportunities are going to be off limits to them based on their charges and things of that nature. We talk about what’s realistic.”
The program also enables them to get needed medication. This is helpful for individuals who experience an insurance gap.
“It may be awhile before they’re able to reconnect with a therapist or a psychiatrist,” Carter said. “We give them those medications when they leave so that they don’t decompensate, so that they don’t have a mental health crisis and slip back into psychosis or anything like that and end up making a bad decision that lands them back in jail.”
Various classes, including prerelease mentoring and trauma-based yoga, are also offered.
