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POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) — Idaho officials say a recent death of a jail inmate shows why the state needs to invest more in mental health care and add more beds in secure mental health facilities.
The Idaho State Journal reports Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen and Prosecutor Stephen Herzog said Monday that the death of inmate Lance Quick last Friday is an example of what can happen when people in need of mental health care are instead locked in jail.
Nielsen says Quick was arrested Dec. 8 on misdemeanor driving under the influence. Nielsen says Quick had a mental illness diagnosis and was off his medication. Nielsen says Quick was too incoherent to be arraigned in court, and his staff made several calls to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare inquiring about a bed for him in a mental health facility, but to no avail.
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Information from: Idaho State Journal, http://www.journalnet.com
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