what to be aware of when divorcing your spouse
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what to be aware of when divorcing your spouse

Every marriage is not meant to last forever. No matter what the reasoning behind the divorce, it is important to have legal representation for each side. I almost lost everything because my former spouse said that he was taking care of things and that he would be fair about how the assets were divided. It took several weeks for me to find out what he was up to. It was then that I hired my own attorney and got what I deserved. You should never attempt to go through a divorce without a lawyer working on your side. On my site, I have listed several of the issues that can get overlooked if you are inexperienced with divorce documents and proceedings.

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what to be aware of when divorcing your spouse

Your Mentally Ill Relative Has Been Arrested—Four Things You Can Do to Help

Joy Johnson

If a loved one with a mental health condition has been arrested, you may wonder what you can do to help them. There several things you can do to make the experience more endurable for them.

1. Inform the Jail Administration and Arrange for Treatment/Medication

First you will want to contact the jail and talk to an official there to let them know about your relative's psychiatric disorder and its symptoms. The jail official may want to arrange an evaluation for the person with a jail psychiatrist. It is possible that they may also want to transfer your loved one to a mental health unit of the jail (or to a psychiatric hospital, if the person is out of control) for a short-term commitment and an opportunity to get them stabilized again on their medications.

If your relative is on medication, you should find out if you can bring it to the jail. If it is allowed, the jail nurse should make sure they get it at the times prescribed. There may be restrictions on narcotic pain medications and amphetamines for ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), since these can be stolen/bartered away. Generally speaking however, it would be in the facility's best interest to make sure that a person with mental or emotional problems get regular doses of the medications that control their condition.

You should also fill out an inmate health form for the person. If the jail doesn't have a form like this you can make one yourself. In this document you should include

  • your relative's name and address;
  • their booking number;
  • their diagnosis;
  • their doctor's name and contact address/phone number;
  • their medications with the necessary particulars such as prescribed times, amounts, route of administration, etc.; and
  • possible side effects or adverse effect your relative could experience.

You should make two copies of this (one for you and one for the relative's attorney) and send the original to the jail. You may be able to fax it or send it to the jail's email address.

2. Ask for Mental Health Support Assistance 

If the person is going to be in jail for a long period of time, you should request that a social worker or a medical caseworker be assigned to your loved one's case.

There may be a mental health court in your area, and the prosecutor's office could be willing to switch the case over to it if apprised of the situation. This type of court routinely gives probation if offenders stay in approved mental health programs for a period of time specified by the judge.

3. Make Regular Visits and Give Encouragement

Finally, you should visit regularly to give encouragement and to see that your relative is being treated appropriately. Even if they are not always able to respond in the way you wish they would, they do need your continuing support. And like most jail inmates, they will be happy to receive money for commissary items that they need or want.

4. Consult a Lawyer

You will want to consult an attorney as soon as possible to protect the rights of your relative. Look on websites like http://www.ourbendlawyer.com to find one you trust.


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