A drum call to gather the population on San Quentin’s Lower Yard was made on Sept. 9 for the “Hope” themed opening of Mental Wellness Week. Incarcerated men answered the drum call of L. Williams, who works in SQ’s mental health department, visitor Serigne Sowto and sat down in a drum circle. They learned to play traditional West African rhythms like the Sente, Danza, and Dun Dun Ba Ba by hand on a congos bass. “Drumming is recreation- al therapy, and it helps the men in the community, so I thought it could help men in here … [Read more...] about Message of Hope for Mental Wellness Week at SQ
Mentally Ill Offenders
More inmates taking meds for mental health issues
The number of offenders in county jails on psychotropic medications increased 25 percent in 45 California counties in the past five years, reports California Health Policy Strategies (CHPS) for Kaiser Health News. The Kaiser Health News report shows that a shortage of community-based treatment centers have made county jails a warehouse for mentally ill people. A separate report by the Council On Mentally Ill Offenders (COMIO) found that the mental health prison population grew from 19 percent in 2006 to 30 percent in 2016. Since the … [Read more...] about More inmates taking meds for mental health issues