01 May Bail and Your Mental Health
We understand why some people think that they should simply stay in jail rather than post bail. In nearly every case, it comes down to money. They feel that the financial hit they will take from posting bail will have a negative impact on their life. Or, the even more common reason is that they simply don’t have enough money to post bail.
What people don’t think about when they’re looking at the cost of bail is the impact remaining in jail will have on their mental health. For some reason, people assume that county jails are nicer than state prisons, which is true in some ways. The problem is that county jails become really unpleasant after you’ve been locked in a cell for a few days. The issue is that there simply isn’t anything to do. Unlike prisons, which have educational and other programs in place that are designed to help inmates keep their minds active during their incarceration, jails don’t have anything to offer. You spend every single day in a small cell with your cellmates. Aside from a few books and maybe some television, there’s nothing to do.
While having nothing to do isn’t bad for a few hours at a time, as the days go on, you’ll notice the toll the situation is taking on your mental health. According to Cornell University, the incarcerated population with mental health problems is 3-12 times higher than the freed populations. Some of these inmates were struggling with mental health when they were arrested. Others developed health concerns while they were incarcerated. In both cases, mental health problems worsened as incarceration continued.
- Mental health concerns that are experienced by inmates include:
- Paranoia
- Depression
- Manic episodes
- Bi-polar
- Anxiety
Not only will extended incarceration has a negative impact on your overall mental health, but getting treatment and counseling is nearly impossible.
Posting your bail and being released from jail is an excellent way to preserve your health. But don’t assume that a lack of financial resources means you can’t be released on bail. All you have to do is contact Orange County Bail Bonds. We’re an agency dedicated to doing everything possible to ensure you’re released on bail and reunited with your loved ones. Making bail an option for everyone includes only charging a fee of 10% of the requested bail and offering interest-free, zero-down payment plans.
When you contact us and find out exactly how obtainable bail really is, you’ll wonder why you waited so long.
Orange County Bail Bonds offers completely free consultations that are available 24/7. All you have to do is call for an obligation-free consultation.