Danville State Hospital (sex offenders, crimes, houses)

[Des_Nosferatu]

Hello there,
I was curious if anyone had any insight or information regarding how often incidents happen at the Danville State Hospital.

My wife has an opportunity for a job there as a psychiatric aide trainee, but we're weighing if it's a safe working environment or not. I understand that not everyone there is violent or dangerous and that most residents are there to get real help. But the fact remains that the institution houses a few convicted sex offenders, along with numerous residents with long lists of assault charges. There was even a resident that within a 5 month period was involved in 14 incidents. One of which was beating a fellow resident with a large chain resulting in open wounds. Another male resident in his 50's punched a female employee in the face just a few months ago. All these things have me worried for my wife's safety. She's worried too.

I'm not 100%, but it's my understanding that people arrested for violent or other crimes are sometimes remanded to Danville State Hospital if they're deemed unfit to stand trial, or cannot be held in a normal jail. Is this true?

Again I'm not knocking the facility, or saying that anyone there is a dangerous incident waiting to happen. I applaud the system for having institutions like this one where people can get help and learn to live happier, safer, and more complete lives. I think my wife and I are just looking for some peace of mind.

Thank you in advance for any information or insight anyone feels like sharing.

[judd2401]

In general, working in any psychiatric facilities whether it be an inpatient unit inside an acute care hospital, a residential facility where patients are supervised in community living, or a longer term care facility such as Danville State Hospital, you're assuming risk of violence. Employees are typically trained yearly on risk management and how to handle patients that lose control of their behavior. There are a variety of reasons why patients act out and sometimes people get hurt, usually when attempting to administer involuntary medication or secluding/restraining a patient against their will which happens and is part of the job. As a psychiatric trainee, I'm assuming your wife knows why she is pursuing this kind of work but she may want to do some more homework to make sure this is for her. Psych units are not places where people sit calmly and need talk therapy. At Danville State, patient's have been hospitalized at other facilities and deemed inappropriate for discharge into the community for various reasons, some of which include histories of violence towards others because they are mentally ill. As a last resort, they are transferred to Danville State Hospital as all other measures of treatment have failed. No one can reassure you that there is no risk of violence or injury working on an inpatient psych facility in any hospital, but if you like psychiatry and like to work with mentally ill patients, the job can be very rewarding.