Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Yesterday, I was pretty excited. We'd connected with a few professionals who'd offered as much help as this hamstrung 'non-system' can provide. An attorney suggested that the jail staff could transport our loved one to the hospital. The hospital crisis worker agreed to be on the watch for the ER admittance, and it looked like we were going to be able to get our loved on into the hospital, where our legal guardianship would allow us to secure treatment. This took hours of phone calls with the public defender, prosecuting attorney, jail, behavioral health unit at the hospital, back with the prosecuting attorney, etc.

Alas, it all unravelled at the end of the day, when we learned that our loved one is being a model inmate, and there is no risk of harm to self or others, so they cannot involuntary transport. Our loved one was deemed not healthy enough to stay in jail, or to face the charges, but apparently not sick enough to infringe on their civil liberties and freedom, in order to transport to the hospital. To be clear, the hospital would most likely have admitted our loved one, but we cannot get them to the hospital.

Today, the prosecuting attorney is likely to dismiss the charges, which will result in my loved one being released to the streets.

Meanwhile, we received their state ID in the mail which some kind soul mailed to us, having found it in the street. So our loved one has no ID, no money, no lucidity. And certainly will reoffend. They will steal for food, trespass for a place to sleep, be publicly indecent to pee, and that's just covering basic human needs. Throw in the delusions of owning several homes in the neighborhood, and I expect that they'll also enter homes uninvited, and explain to the shocked homeowners that this is their house.  I pray they don't have a gun. 

Today, I cannot imagine how the non-system is designed in a way that is willing to arrest and jail my loved one with a serious brain disease, acknowledges that they are too sick to face charges, is unable to transport the hospital, because of my loved one's civil rights, but is willing to dump her on the streets.