The company seemed reluctant, he said, to send seriously ill inmates to hospitals, which could cost it thousands of dollars a day.

Last week, 307 mentally ill inmates were waiting for one of Florida's 1,416 psychiatric beds, and 72 percent had waited longer than 15 days.

None of the mentally ill inmates receive group or individual therapy, she said in an affidavit.

But the basic problem is that severely ill inmates should not be held in lockdown at all.

Medical care for mentally ill inmates is often almost nonexistent, the study says.

As of Tuesday, nearly 250 mentally ill inmates had waited more than 15 days for treatment.

The gravely ill inmates who get medication and therapy at the hospital are the lucky ones.

The men said they saw the beating of mentally ill inmates.

Two cells were placed in the middle of the lawn for violent or mentally ill inmates.

But like many ill inmates, Roger seemed inured to punishment.