Who should you contact first when addressing an inmate's mental health concerns?

• A. A mental health professional
• B. Your supervisor
• C. Medical staff
• D. Maintenance

Answer: (A)

Mental health concerns in an inmate should be addressed by a mental health professional first. They have the training to perform an initial mental health assessment, identify risk factors, and determine the appropriate level of care—such as crisis intervention, therapy, or medication management—and can coordinate with medical staff and security as needed. Supervisors handle administrative tasks and don’t perform clinical evaluations, and medical staff deal with physical health issues (they may screen for mental health symptoms, but the clinical assessment comes from mental health professionals). If there is an immediate risk, follow crisis protocols to contact the on-call mental health team or emergency services.