Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Bi Polar and In Jail

My girlfriends husband is Bipolar. He took his self off of his meds for a time and went into a manic episode. He choked her and hurt her, he also threatened to kill her and her family if she called the police. She did call and they took him had him evaluated, put him on meds and in jail. He had a public defender and plead guilty to both felonys. He has never been in trouble, they gave him 6 mths. While in jail they have not been able to regulate his meds proplerly and he still has manic episodes in jail. Why would they not put him in a hospital or facility that would help him. He has gotten in trouble there because of his episodes. What does she need to do to see that he gets help. We are afraid that he may kill someone in there or himslef. Because he has no control over when he has these episodes. While in jail they have changed his meds on him. I really need to know what she can do to try to get him moved.


Asked on 2/17/04, 10:35 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Jim Griffin The Law Office of James L. Griffin

Re: Bi Polar and In Jail

You might consider a call to your favorite county commissioner. Pick one who's friendly with the sheriff, or one who's looking to

humiliate him, depending on the politics of your county.More practically, if you want to get the meds to him, call the sheriff directly and point out the extreme legal liability if this prisoner

even attempts suicide and ask why this can't be addressed immediately.

I would be surprised if immediate action isn't taken. It''s hard to run for reelection if your opponent can point to a court verdict costing

the County $$$ for the sheriff's negligence or a likely conviction that failed due to misconduct at the jail.

The jail/medication cases are real common and a real pain. Prisoners only have minimal rights to health care.

If you are interested in being able to have legal advice and more without having to pay big fees upfront, please e-mail me for more information. I may have a solution that would insure you have access to an attorney for any information you might need about this and any other legal issue that will arise.

Either way, I wish you good luck.

Jim Griffin

[email protected]

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Answered on 2/19/04, 7:18 pm


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