By Alan Ellis and Mark Allenbaugh
Published by The National Trial Lawyers, April 13, 2017. Reprinted with permission.
Bureau of Prisons policies are complex and difficult to understand—even defense lawyers find them taxing particularly so when it comes to medical and mental health issues. Clients and families are more often than not lost in the bureaucratic maze of terminology and regulations, and they turn to their lawyers for explanations. In earlier articles (“BOP Designations Based on Medical Need,” Criminal Justice, Fall 2008 and “BOP Healthcare: What You (and Your Clients) Need to Know,” Criminal Justice, Winter 2009), Mr. Ellis discussed medical care in the Bureau of Prisons. This article is intended for the attorney to understand and be able to provide clients and their families and friends information regarding mental health treatment in the Bureau of Prisons.
By Alan Ellis