Throughout the COVID-19 crisis most of our episodes covered how the coronavirus pandemic impacted various Black communities. The focus was on people who are not under any correctional control. We have not directed our attention to what was happening to inmates and others under correctional control. Media coverage of what was going on in prisons and jails was scant. Recently, the horrific conditions existing on Rikers Island, New York City’s pretrial detention complex, captured the headlines. In addition to overcrowding and violence, detainees have been committing suicide creating a crisis for pretrial detainees.
We talk with Katrina Peters and Deborah Jordan, who both have experience evaluating and treating detainees with mental health issues. Even in our community, we can discount the needs of our community members who may be under correctional control. Our guests highlight some of the problems and discuss why mental heath deteriorates when people’s liberty has been removed. They also emphasize that the people who are under detention are our people, from our communities, and we need to be concerned about the crisis for pretrial detainees.