Nebraska Administrative Code
Topic - CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF
Title 72 - NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
Chapter 1 - RESTRICTIVE HOUSING
Section 72-1-006 - BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
Current through March 20, 2024
006.01 Staff shall divert inmates who are members of a vulnerable population to the least restrictive environment and provide risk- and needs-responsive therapeutic settings that are interactive, constructive, and based on individualized interventions while balanced with safety and security.
006.02 All inmates placed in any form of restrictive housing shall receive an assessment by health services to identify any physical injuries, urgent mental health needs, or other urgent conditions prior to being placed in their assigned cell. When this initial screening is conducted by health services staff and concerns about mental health status are noted, the inmate shall be seen by mental health staff for a one-on-one out of cell assessment within 24 hours. If the mental health needs are deemed to be emergent, the inmate shall be held in a location other than restrictive housing until a mental health screening can be completed.
006.03 All inmates in restrictive housing shall receive a mental health screening within 14 days of placement. This screening will be done in a location outside of the inmate's cell.
006.04 For Inmates in immediate segregation:
006.05 Mental health services for inmates in longer-term restrictive housing shall be managed through a combination of requests for consultation made by the inmate or facility staff (as in the general population), weekly cell front visits by mental health providers, and one-on-one out of cell therapeutic assessments every 30 days for those with a diagnosis of serious mental illness if the inmate agrees to the consult. Force shall not be used to bring an inmate out to see a mental health provider unless there is a clear life threatening issue or serious decompensation is noted.
006.06 Additional mental health contacts/assessments shall be conducted based on requests by staff, requests by the inmate, and individual treatment plans.
006.07 Outcomes of mental health consultations and screenings may include identifying the need for a greater level of mental health treatment and intervention, a need for acute or chronic mental health housing rather than other forms of housing, and a need for a formal mental health treatment plan.
006.08 Inmates identified as needing acute or chronic mental health treatment shall be transferred to an appropriate mental health unit for focused care and intervention. Any exceptions must be approved by the Director.
006.09 Inmates diagnosed with serious mental illness who present a high risk to others and require residential mental health treatment shall be housed in A mental health housing unit with space for programming, a secure classroom, and yard space on the unit. This unit will provide a focused therapeutic environment, with daily clinical contact to intervene with behaviors that were previously addressed through punitive approaches and isolation.
