NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson hosted a panel discussion Wednesday, May 8, to discuss mental health services at the Orleans Justice Center as part of Mental Health Awareness Month.
Hutson said prison inmates need better mental health services and announced plans to provide better mental health care.
She said she believes in an approach that benefits prison staff, inmates and their families.
“It takes a whole village to make this happen, and it really takes a whole support network. So when it’s all humming together, people go home and have a safe place to live and are cared for. You’ll see there are families and resources to do it,” Hutson said.
He noted that OPSO agents are trained to respond to inmates’ mental health issues.
Hutson also noted the challenges that deputies face while working in corrections, including late nights, early mornings and understaffing.
“Staffing shortages are pushing deputies to breaking point and putting them at grave risk. A single deputy in charge of the toughest unit in the prison can be responsible for dozens of residents during a shift. “If that deputy continues this way for a long period of time with little support, he will be maxed out,” Hutson said.
She said clinical experts are available to OPSO staff.
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