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Mentally ill people are stuck in jail because they can't get treatment. Here's what's to know

On October 8, 2024, a framed photo shows Fernando Clark, who died in Montgomery County Jail in 2024, as captured by Associated Press photographer Safiyah Riddle.
A court ordered psychiatric treatment for Clark, but he spent months in a jail cell awaiting that placement in the Montgomery County court system.
Arrest records show Fernando Clark was detained after stealing cigarettes and fruit from a gas station, with petty-theft charges preceding his court-ordered psychiatric care.
The photo in his sister's home shows the framed image, underscoring the family's loss, while local public-safety coverage highlighted the death in the Montgomery community.
The case underscores gaps between court orders for psychiatric care and available placements, leaving vulnerable people with mental illness and families of detained individuals in Montgomery County treatment and corrections systems.

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