In a broken mental health system, a tiny jail cell becomes the institution of last resort
The Lake County jail has two roughly 30-square-foot cells used to isolate prisoners, including people in a mental health crisis. Some are held there for months as they wait for an open bed at the Montana State Hospital. (Photo by Katheryn Houghton/KFF Health News)
POLSON — When someone accused of a crime in this small northwestern Montana town needs mental health care, chances are they’ll be locked in a basement jail cell the size of a walk-in closet.
Prisoners, some held in this isolation cell for months, have scratched initials and the phrase “love hurts” into the metal door’s brown paint. Their pacing has worn a path into the cement floor. Many are held in a sort of limbo, not convicted of a crime but not stable enough to be released. They sleep on a narrow cot next to a toilet. The only view is a fluorescent-lit hallway visible through a small window in the door.
Lake County Attorney James Lapotka stood at the cell’s center talking about the people he helps confine here. He stretched out his arms, his fingertips just shy of touching opposite walls. “I’m getting anxiety just being in here,” Lapotka said.
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