Telepsychiatry for Correctional Facilities

Mental Health Problems are Pervasive in Correctional Facilities

There is a growing scientific consensus that proper mental health care is one of the most important parts of rehabilitation for incarcerated individuals.  Mental health treatment is one of the most effective components in reducing the likelihood of repeat offenses.  Although mental health disorders are neither a necessary nor a sufficient factor in either criminal activity or violence, mental health issues undoubtedly contribute to the likelihood of running afoul of the law.

In the United States, there are more mentally ill people in correctional facilities than there are in mental health hospitals.  Many criminal offenders struggle with mental illness and wind up in a correctional facility, and many incarcerated individuals develop psychological conditions as a result of their confinement.  The rate of mental illness in prisons may be as high as two to four times greater than in the general public.

Providing proper mental health services to people in jails, prisons, halfway houses and other facilities helps everyone.  Inmates get the psychiatric care that they need to become more productive members of society. In addition, the risk of suicide and other dangers can be mitigated, and healthy inmates are less likely to be involved in altercations with guards or other inmates while incarcerated.  By giving your correctional facility access to telepsychiatry, you can provide the mental health care that your inmates both need and deserve, without incurring the risk, inconvenience, and cost of either transporting inmates to treatment centers or transporting mental health professionals to your institution.

How Can Telepsychiatry Help Your Correctional Facility?

Orbit Health brings the most qualified mental health professionals right to your facility, without the need for in-person contact.  Telepsychiatry allows your facility access to qualified, capable psychiatrists, including specialists in the field of incarceration, located anywhere around the country.  Telepsychiatry offers benefits such as:

  • You are not limited to the services of the nearest mental health treatment center.
  • Doctors are not put at risk by being placed in direct contact with inmates.
  • Increased access, including compliance with state and federal health regulations, at a reduced cost.
  • Reduced gaps in care: Get help from experts in post-traumatic stress disorder, incarceration, violence, gender transition, and any other specific issues faced by your inmates.

Why Choose Orbit Health?

We are different from other telepsychiatry companies because our primary mission is to end the cycle of mass incarceration of the mentally ill.   Led by the world’s leading experts and pioneers in correctional telepsychiatry, we have specialized knowledge, skill, and experience to provide the finest quality of services to jails, prisons, juvenile detention centers, and forensic hospitals.

Many correctional settings struggle to meet State and Federal mental health care mandates, often due to limited psychiatric resources.  Patients behind bars struggle to achieve psychiatric stability, making it difficult to function in these settings and leading to worsening outcomes, such as rules violations and enhanced sentences.  Time and again, Orbit Health has improved access to care while reduced patient backlogs, thereby helping facilities function safely and efficiently.

Our goal is to ensure patients attain stability before, during, and after incarceration in order to achieve success in any setting.  Mental and emotional stability reduces the rate of recidivism, and nobody in the world does this better than Orbit Health.

To learn more about why telepsychiatry is a great fit for jails and prisons, click here.

If you are looking for correctional telepsychiatry services for your facility, or you are a provider looking for a job opportunity in corrections, contact Orbit Health today!