About

In January 2016 the Education-Based Incarceration Bureau of the L.A. Sheriff’s Department in collaboration with Correctional Health Services initiated an experimental program whereby two inmates from the jail’s general population were rehoused into two acute Forensic Inpatient Unit step-down pods for inmates with serious mental illness, to serve as peer caregivers. Since 2018, Craigen Armstrong and Adrian Berumen, in this role, have led the extension of their duties from assisting in the everyday operation of the pod to offering an extensive program of care and support for their peers with mental illness wherein they work as “Mental Health Assistants.” Their program has been successful in reducing negative outcomes for their peers; in 2019, the Corrections Health Services reported a 600% decrease in self-injurious incidents, when compared to similar units throughout the jail. Their program received an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties in 2020. In 2021, the Mental Health Assistants authorized to recruit additional  Assistants from the general population of the L.A. County Jail system through the Education Based Incarceration Bureau’s program. As of January 2022, there are now 6 total Mental Health Assistants, including Daniel Mesa (below second from left) and Matthew Reyes (below second from right). You can learn more about Craigen and Adrian’s vision for their program in their book, “The Solution: Mental Health Assistants: Bridging the Gap to Effective Treatment”, and in their vision statement.