DECATUR COUNTY, GA (WTXL) — A statewide shortage of psychiatric treatment beds is forcing Decatur County's jail to serve as a mental health facility, with some inmates waiting years for evaluations and treatment.
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Chief Deputy Wendell Cofer of the Decatur County Jail and Sheriff's Department said 14 inmates are currently waiting through different stages of the mental health evaluation and court process, with some cases taking years to move forward.
"Those timelines are running two to four years, where they just sit here waiting on the mental health system to decide what's best and what's next before the criminal system can proceed," Cofer said.
The physical toll on the jail is significant. Cofer said the facility has lost all of its temporary and holding cells to accommodate those with mental health needs.
"A lot of them are in general population. We've lost all of our temporary cells, all our holding cells, all of those have now become mental health cells. In large parts, we've turned the jails into mental health hospitals," Cofer said.
Cofer described how the cycle typically begins, with people not receiving treatment going on to commit minor crimes.
"The mental health endemic of people not receiving treatment, committing minor crimes generally, not always, some of them are very violent, but often minor crimes like panhandling and theft, retail theft, that sort of thing, that then lands them in jail on relatively minor charges. But then they get stuck in the system because they're incompetent, or they even need just the evaluation. And the evaluation time in Georgia is running one to two years," Cofer said.
The Sheriff's Department is working with defense and prosecuting attorneys to help move the court process forward more quickly. However, Cofer said medical professionals are needed to properly address patients' medical needs that the jail cannot provide.
Cofer said there has been some recent progress.
"There has been some recent improvement. Most notably, the on-scene crisis responders have helped tremendously, try to divert quite a few from jail to other mental health services. We have one here in Decatur County," Cofer said.
He was referring to the Decatur County mental health partnership, a co-responder program pairing the Decatur County Sheriff's Department with Georgia Pines Behavioral Health to place licensed mental health therapists directly on patrol calls.
For those who have lived through the struggle of accessing mental health care, getting help sooner can make all the difference. Bainbridge neighbor Henry Neal offered words of encouragement for others facing similar challenges.
"The good Lord got their back and will help them through. Keep your head up. Pray to God for the help," Neal said.
Georgia is hoping to address the broader shortage with a new state psychiatric hospital expected to be built in DeKalb County.
Mental health resources:
- Georgia Pines Community Service Board
- Aspire Behavioral Health & Developmental Services
- Samaritan Counseling Center of Southwest Georgia
- Georgia Crisis & Access Line (GCAL)
- National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- Veterans Crisis Line
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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