Telehealth mental health services are rapidly reshaping correctional healthcare, addressing long-standing gaps in access, continuity, and crisis response for incarcerated individuals.
Telehealth After COVID-19: A Permanent Shift
The mental health telehealth landscape changed dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before 2020, telehealth services represented less than 1% of mental health visits[1][2]. By mid-2020, telehealth mental health appointments skyrocketed to 40% of all visits[2].
This wasn’t temporary. Even after pandemic restrictions ended, telehealth for mental health stabilized at 36% of behavioral health visits[2], proving that remote mental health care delivers effective outcomes for patients nationwide[3][4].
A Mental Health Crisis Behind Bars
Correctional mental health represents America’s largest untreated mental health crisis. The statistics reveal a system in distress:
- 56% of state prisoners have mental health conditions[6]
- 64% of jail inmates suffer from mental health disorders[6]
- Only 6% receive professional mental health treatment in state prisons[6]
- Prison suicides in New York doubled from 12 to 25 deaths between 2023 and 2024[7]
Correctional facilities now house more individuals with mental illness than psychiatric hospitals[5], creating an urgent need for innovative mental health solutions in corrections.
Telepsychiatry: Breaking Down Barriers to Care
Traditional mental healthcare in correctional settings faces significant obstacles, including provider shortages, transportation challenges, security constraints, and limited specialty access. Telepsychiatry removes many of these barriers[5] by providing 24/7 access to mental health services, including psychiatric evaluations, crisis intervention, and medication management—ensuring inmates receive timely, expert care around the clock[5].
Telepsychiatry also supports continuity of care when individuals move between facilities, maintaining treatment plans and therapeutic relationships that can continue after release, improving reentry outcomes and reducing recidivism rates[8][10][11]. Advances in technology, including AI-assisted monitoring tools, can help detect potential crises earlier by evaluating patterns in behavior and vital signs before escalation to self-harm or violence[12]. This approach delivers specialty psychiatric expertise to rural facilities regardless of location[3] and helps reduce stigma by offering private teletherapy sessions[13].
Implementing Digital Mental Health Solutions
For telehealth to succeed in correctional environments, facilities must adopt secure, HIPAA-compliant video systems and ensure technology access while balancing security restrictions[5][13]. Staff training is crucial, as is maintaining infrastructure and assigning digital navigators or care coordinators who help patients engage with technology[9][14].
The most effective models blend remote psychiatric care with in-person services when needed, ensuring both clinical accuracy and human connection[9][14].
The Future of Mental Health Care in Corrections
As a psychiatrist specializing in correctional mental health, I’ve seen firsthand how telepsychiatry stabilizes crises, ensures continuity of medication management during facility transfers, and supports community reentry through ongoing virtual care. Research consistently shows that telehealth outcomes are comparable to in-person treatment for most psychiatric conditions.
The technology is proven—and the need is undeniable.
Investing in the Future
To fully implement digital mental health care that saves lives and reduces suffering in correctional facilities, systems must commit to adequate funding, evidence-based practice, ethical and patient-centered implementation, and the political will to prioritize mental health.
The question facing correctional healthcare isn’t whether digital mental health belongs in prisons and jails—it’s whether we’ll fully implement these lifesaving technologies for vulnerable populations who need them most.
By C.J. Rush, DO, MSMEd, CCHP-MH, Chief Psychiatric Officer, CorrHealth LLC
Sources
[1] Covid-19 Accelerated the Adoption of Telehealth: Is it here to stay? https://business.cornell.edu/hub/2022/04/11/covid-19-accelerated-adoption-telehealth-ls-it-here-to-stay/
[2] Telehealth Has Played an Outsized Role Meeting Mental Health … https://www.kff.org/mentalhealth/telehealth-has-played-an-outsized-role-meeting-mental-health-needs-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/
[3] Is Telehealth Effective For Mental Health? https://laurelridgetc.com/blog/telehealth-effective-for-mentalhealth/
[4] Digital Mental Health and COVID-19: Using Technology Today to … https://mental.jmir.org/2020/3/e18848/
[5] Why On-Demand Psychiatry Matters for Correctional Facilities https://faspsych.com/blog/correctionalcenter-on-demand-psychiatry-enhancing-mental-health-care-in-jails-and-prisons-with-telepsychiatry-services/
[6] Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2025 | Prison Policy Initiative https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2025.html
[7] Suicides in Prison More than Doubled from 2023 to 2024 https://www.correctionalassociation.org/pressreleases-archive/suicides-in-prison-more-than-doubled-from-2023-to-2024
[8] Telepsychiatry in Correctional Facilities – PubMed Central – NIH https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3783076/
[9] The evolving field of digital mental health: current evidence and … https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12079407/
[10] Enhancing healthcare accessibility through telehealth for justice … https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11340679/
[11] Three Things to Know About Implementing Telehealth in … https://csgjusticecenter.org/2021/04/12/threethings-to-know-about-implementing-telehealth-in-correctional-facilities/
[12] The Potential Of AI To Enhance Mental Health In Correctional Facilities https://emhicglobal.com/casestudies/the-potential-of-ai-to-enhance-mental-health-in-correctional-facilities-benefits-for-staff-andincarcerated-individuals/
[13] Breaking down barriers to mental healthcare access in prison https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11025238/
[14] Telehealth Trends 2025: Innovations in Telepsychiatry – Memor Health https://memorhealth.com/blog/telepsychiatry-trends/
