ATLANTA — Amid an investigation into conditions inside Georgia prisons, launched in September, state lawmakers are taking steps to mitigate issues in the state’s embattled corrections systems.

Democrat Rep. Sandra Scott filed three bills that aim to address inmate mental health challenges. An estimated 30 inmates died by suicide in 2020 and leaders say untreated mental health in inmates can often cause them to commit other crimes while in confinement.  

Scott’s H.B. 853 would allow anyone eligible for public mental health services due to a previous diagnosis or previously eligible for SSDI benefits to petition for a sentence that includes mental health treatment. 

The bill would allow the court to order defendants to serve all or part of their sentences in a mental health treatment facility instead of prison or jail, as long as the court determines the defendant doesn’t pose a risk to public safety.  

“In speaking with sheriffs, I found that a lot of people that are in jail have mental health issues and these people are not getting the treatment that they need in jail,” Scott said. “They’re left in there and a lot of times they don’t get out when they’re supposed to because of the mental health issues that they have. … They have done something else because they are not getting the medication and the care that they need in the jails and prison system. Therefore, it is my hope that they will be able to get the mental health treatment that they need so that they can become productive citizens of this world.”

Scott said a state committee would put more thought into exceptions to mental treatment facility options. Inmates convicted of certain felonies and violent crimes such as murder, rape, robbery would likely not be up for consideration.  

“I think for people that have committed crimes of this statute, we will have to find another way to give them mental health treatment that they need,” Scott said.  

Scott said housing an inmate with a mental health issue in a mental health facility instead of jail could likely cut costs by more than half. Georgia Department of Corrections’ Fiscal Year 2019 reports show the cost of housing an inmate per year averaged near $20,000.  

Another bill, HB 851, would require a custodian in a prison to have an inmate evaluated by a physician within 48 hours if there is reason to believe the inmate has a mental illness. If found, the physician would be required to execute a certificate to a judge that indicates an inmate requires treatment.

“(If he had) the ability to have serious treatment during his six years of incarceration, he could have come home on a different level and stayed sober and had the tools necessary to keep sobriety in his life,” Boccia added. 

A handful of Democrats filed a bill last year that is still active this session that would require jails and prisons to provide a monthly report of inmate suicides, attempted suicides, deaths, injuries, assaults and use of force.

The bill would also require 24-hour access to a mental health professional either onsite or through a tele-mental health service; along with automated electronic sensors to ensure accurate and timely cell checks.

Department of Justice is investigating conditions into Georgia prisons, which include staffing issues, DOC procedures, inmate deaths and assaults.