June is Mens Health Month with a focus on mental health awareness and Prison Reform Advocate Sharletta Evans is working to bring awareness to what she calls a lack of resources for incarcerated people who are living with mental illnesses.Ive been receiving phone calls from family members whose loved ones who are incarcerated... are really combating a lot of ill treatment within the Department of Corrections here in Colorado, to where they're not getting certain services concerning their medication, their mental health care, Evans said.Evans said some men who are incarcerated told her that some of their needs were met at first, but overtime, accommodations that were initially provided were stopped. You know, the health accommodations that they need to be cared for, regarding how they're handcuffed in the front and the back, due to, you know, their anxieties, things of that nature those are being kind of pushed to the side, where it may have been honored when they first went in, and now just waning in all of the areas that they're needed. It's really causing a lot of extra PTSD things that are appearing as defiance, Evans said.Evans said in some cases, it impacts inmates' ability to keep disciplinary records clean or apply for clemency.Those that have already applied for pardons or clemency, things like that, there's a waiting period They have pretty much attached themselves to self-care and transformation and to get themselves in a position to come home with clemency applications, but then they're being bombarded with other things that would set them back. And that's where we're looking at. So, we're looking at the mental illness that men are experiencing, as well as those that have applied for clemency that are kind of being neglected, and they have done the work that qualifies them to be considered, Evans said.Gregory Romero, a tattoo artist who spent 27 years in prison, said dealing with mental health issues in prison is tough.I went into prison at 17 years old, into an adult prison, and had life without parole," he said. "I didn't know how to survive in that kind of world, you know? So, they say that it takes a community to raise a child. Well, that's the community that raised me. I mean, you can imagine being a kid and having life without parole, knowing you're never going to get out of prison. So, you know, I went through a lot of depressions. I ended up spending three years in ADSEG (Administrative Segregation), which is a 23-hour lockdown.Romero, who was eventually released after a Supreme Court decision overturned mandatory life sentences for juveniles, said resources for mental health help during his incarceration were limited.John Sherman, who was incarcerated for 34 years, said most of his mental health support came from other inmates. Who better knows than some convict that's already done 15 years?" he said. "I've had plenty of guys that come, Hey man, you don't want to do this, you want to take this, remember this, and do that.' But staff, they had mental health classes, drug and alcohol classes, which were just routine and reflexive. It wasn't to teach us anything. I don't think they know all the work that we did ourselves."Sherman said he did a lot of his own research.I took college classes, psychology, and all those things, just trying to figure it out. And then I came to Seven Habits on the inside Seven Habits of Highly Effective People which changed my character. ... I can make all the decisions I want to based on street values, but for me, I had to decide that I'm going to be this person that contributes to society, that has character, that stands on principle, and so that's how I managed my life. And I really did good," he said. "And that's why I got a clemency, because my character described who I was as a person."Romero said it is time for state leaders to provide more mental health help. I think we can work together to come up with solutions to help the guys so that it's a better environment out here, you know, when they get released, Romero said.Evans said she is issuing a call to action to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado Department of Corrections Executive Director Moses "Andre" Stancil to provide mental health resources to incarcerated people across the state.The Colorado Department of Corrections' website reads that its clinical services program is structured to "function similar to a community health care organization and is accredited through the American Correctional Association (ACA)." The DOC said it provides a range of health care services, including mental health services."Mental health services are provided for inmates such as group therapy, psychiatric services, and crisis intervention which vary in levels of intensity to include inpatient mental health programs, intensive mental health services, and Residential Treatment Programs (RTP)," the DOC's website reads. "RTPs offer highly specialized treatment to inmates with mental health disorders and/or intellectual and developmental treatment needs. These programs utilize a planned incentive level system to promote pro-social behavior and treatment progress while meeting behavioral goals." ...read more read less