The decision of whether or not to prescribe minor tranquilizers becomes an apparent dilemma for mental health professionals working in jails. By dispensing anxiety-reducing drugs, they may help the inmate cope with existing hardship conditions, but they may also contribute to drug dependency. A survey of California county jail systems revealed a general distrust of minor tranquilizers as a therapeutic modality. The authors conducted a medication-linked group therapy program in one county jail to provide an alternative to the usual policies governing use of tranquilizers.
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