Jails have become destinations for people who need mental health treatment

(InvestigateTV) — Experts say prisons and county jails have become destinations for people who need mental health treatment, not time behind bars.

According to multiple reports, three jail systems are among the largest mental health facilities in the country: Rikers Island in New York, Twin Towers Jail in Los Angeles and Cook County Jail in Chicago.

But some people are looking for solutions, hoping to bridge the gap between police and mental health services.

A 911 call in Michigan

In May 2024, Cynthia Marek called 911 in Ingham County, Michigan, seeking help for her son, Brandon Labrie, who was experiencing a mental health emergency.

Within seconds, the crisis escalated into a stabbing. Labrie was charged in his mother’s death.

His father, Steve Labrie, spent more than three decades as a registered nurse in state-run psychiatric hospitals. He said weeks before the attack, his son had attempted suicide by overdose.

Steve Labrie said the family was told at the time that Brandon would be placed in a long-term mental health facility. He said that never happened.

“I’ve seen a lot of things in my life. It was, in my opinion, preventable,” Steve Labrie said.

He said he does not know what type of mental health treatment his son will receive.

“My guess is, if he gets any, it’s minimal. I wish I had those answers. I wish I knew,” Steve Labrie said.

Jails not built for long-term care

Mental health advocates say stories like this reflect a national reality. In many places, jails have become de facto mental health facilities, even though they are not built or staffed to provide long-term care, advocates said.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 60% of people with a history of mental illness do not receive treatment while incarcerated. Once people are locked up, it is challenging for them to remain on medication regimens.

William Malcom runs mental health services for the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina.

“We are the largest mental health facility in Charleston County and we really shouldn’t be,” Malcom said.

He said what he is seeing is happening nationwide.

“I don’t think this is really unique to Charleston County. This happens all over the country,” Malcom said.

Malcom said that when communities do not have enough places to take someone in crisis, jail can become the default.

Some police departments and sheriff’s offices are exploring changes to how they respond to mental health calls.

Zach Andrews is the mental health officer for Shelby County, Alabama. He responds to crisis scenes and trains deputies in crisis intervention.

“People experience mental health crisis pretty often, and I think the ones that make the news are those severe cases where potentially it was not handled in the most appropriate situation,” Andrews said.

The approach involves sending a mix of officers and mental health clinicians or peer specialists to de-escalate calls involving someone in crisis, connect the person to treatment and avoid jail.

The first crisis intervention team model was developed in Memphis in the late 1980s. It now exists in more than 2,700 communities across the U.S.

“CIT training is vital. Because what it’s doing, it’s training law enforcement and equipping them with tools and strategies to be able to handle those intense situations,” Andrews said.

A program for people leaving jail or prison

For people already in the court system, a handful of states, including North Carolina, are trying a model called Forensic Assertive Community Treatment, or FACT.

The program provides mental health care, housing help, peer support and court oversight for people with severe mental illness who have been released from jail or prison.

Angel Nelson is a peer support specialist for the FACT team in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. She said she knows how fast a personal crisis can spiral.

“Just being without the things we need, like food, the necessities, I started shoplifting, to get what I need,” Nelson said.

Nelson said trauma at a young age forced her into survival mode, leading to theft, addiction and repeated jail time. She said she started abusing drugs at age 9 and committed her first crime a few years later.

She said the turning point came when a judge gave her a choice: extensive mental health treatment or a lifetime behind bars.

“The first time, I went to the store by myself and didn’t steal nothing. That was the most awesome feeling I had ever felt in my life. I get so emotional because I never knew I could do that,” Nelson said.

Nelson now guides FACT participants through experiences she knows firsthand. She said that type of accountability and treatment saved her life.

“I was diagnosed with anxiety and postpartum depression,” Nelson said. “I was even told in one of my abuse group that the stealing could have come from trying to take back what was taken from me. And that was my innocence.”

Update on Brandon Labrie’s case

In April 2026, Brandon Labrie reached an agreement to plead guilty but mentally ill to second-degree murder. The following month, a judge sentenced him to 25 to 50 years in prison.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.