Mental health incidents challenge jail staff
Lt. Kyle Hutchison collects the name tags of people who have left the Kootenai County Jail staff and pins them to what he calls "the most expensive lampshade ever." Staffing and retention is a challenge in the jails, where a lack of deputies and the high volume of inmates exacerbate challenges when mental health episodes occur.
JOSA SNOW/Press
Resources are strained at the Kootenai County jail as staff deal with inmates experiencing mental health episodes that are often accelerated by drug use.
“Someone who is mentally ill, who is violent, aggressive or trying to hurt themselves, takes almost half my staff several hours a day to try to control,” said Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office Lt...
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