Discharge Planning in Correctional Facilities: A Constitutional Right?

People being held in jails and prisons are entitled under the U.S. Constitution to necessary medical care, including mental health care. Whether such a duty includes planning for care after release has been less clear, despite widespread professional recognition of discharge planning as an integral component of correctional mental health treatment. A recent decision of a federal court of appeals considered the constitutional status of discharge planning for people detained in correctional facilities. The court concluded that a failure to offer discharge planning in the face of serious medical needs is an adequate basis for finding a constitutional violation.