Intake and Medical Screening: Your First Hours in Custody

01What intake screening is — and why it moves so fast

If you or someone you love was just taken into custody, the first hours can feel like a blur. There are forms, lines, questions, and very little explanation. One of the most important parts of those hours is something called intake screening — sometimes called booking health screening or medical intake. This guide walks through what that screening is, what you’ll be asked, and why answering honestly is one of the kindest things you can do for yourself right now.

Intake screening is the set of health and safety questions a jail asks every person when they first arrive. It usually happens quickly, often within the first few hours, and sometimes before you’ve even had a chance to sit down or catch your breath. That speed is not a sign that anyone is rushing you. It exists because the facility has a duty to know, as soon as possible, whether you have a medical condition, a medication you can’t miss, or a safety concern that needs attention right away.

Think of intake screening less like an interrogation and more like the questions a nurse asks when you check into a hospital. The goal is the same: to keep you safe and to make sure nothing important gets missed. The people asking may be nurses, medical technicians, or trained intake officers, depending on the facility.

For families on the outside, this is often the hardest stretch — you may not know where your loved one is yet, or whether anyone knows about their health needs. That uncertainty is real, and there are concrete things you can do, which we cover later in this guide. InMato is a free service that helps families locate a loved one in participating county jails, which can be the first step toward making sure the facility has the information it needs.

02The health questionnaire: what they’ll ask

The heart of intake screening is a health questionnaire. It can feel long and personal, especially when you’re exhausted and scared. Try to answer each question as fully and honestly as you can. The information goes to medical staff, and it shapes the care you receive.

You’ll usually be asked about your current and past health. Common topics include:

• Current medications — everything you take regularly, including the name, the dose, and how often, if you remember it.
• Chronic conditions — long-term illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, a seizure disorder, asthma, or kidney problems.
• Pregnancy — whether you are or might be pregnant, and how far along.
• Allergies — to medications, foods, or anything else, and what happens when you’re exposed.
• Recent surgeries or hospital stays — anything in the last weeks or months, including stitches, casts, or procedures still healing.
• Mental-health history — past or current treatment, diagnoses, or thoughts of harming yourself.
• Substance use — alcohol or drug use, including how recently and how much.

If you don’t know an exact answer — the precise name of a pill, the milligrams, the date of a procedure — that’s okay. Say what you do know. “A small white blood-pressure pill in the morning” is far more useful to a nurse than silence. They can work with partial information and verify the rest.

Why the small details matter

A single detail can change everything. Knowing you take a blood thinner changes how staff respond to a fall. Knowing you have a seizure disorder changes how they watch you. Knowing you’re allergic to a common antibiotic prevents a dangerous mistake. None of this is about getting you in trouble. It’s about giving the people responsible for your care the map they need.

The questions can feel invasive. They are really a way of saying: tell us how to take care of you.

03Chronic conditions: diabetes, heart, seizures, asthma, and more

If you live with a long-term health condition, intake is the moment to make sure the facility knows. Some conditions can become dangerous fast without the right care, and staff can only act on what they’ve been told.

A few examples of why this matters:

• Diabetes — without insulin or the right meals at the right times, blood sugar can swing to dangerous levels. Tell staff if you use insulin, take pills, or check your sugar.
• Heart conditions and high blood pressure — missed medication can raise the risk of serious problems. Name your medications if you can.
• Seizure disorders — missing seizure medication can trigger seizures. Let staff know your diagnosis and what your seizures look like.
• Asthma or breathing conditions — say whether you use an inhaler and how often, especially a rescue inhaler.
• Pregnancy — pregnancy needs special attention, including prenatal care and safe handling of any existing conditions.

Be specific about what you need and how often. “I take insulin twice a day and I’m due for a dose now” tells staff something urgent. The more concrete you are, the easier it is for them to respond.

For families: if your loved one has a serious chronic condition, this is exactly the kind of information a facility needs early. Later in this guide we explain how you can call the jail’s medical line and make sure critical conditions are on record.

04Mental-health and suicide-risk screening

Intake almost always includes questions about your mental health and how you’re feeling emotionally — including whether you’ve had thoughts of hurting or killing yourself. These questions can feel frightening or shameful. We want to be very clear about something: answering honestly leads to help, not punishment.

The first hours in custody are an emotionally overwhelming time, and it is common to feel hopeless, panicked, or numb. Staff ask these questions because they take that seriously and want to keep you safe. If you’re having thoughts of self-harm, telling someone is a sign of strength, not weakness, and it lets people help you through the worst of it.

What honest answers actually lead to

When someone shares that they’re struggling, the response is meant to be care: closer check-ins, a chance to talk with a mental-health professional, and a safer environment. It is not meant to be a way to single you out or take things away as a punishment. Some safety steps may feel uncomfortable in the moment — that discomfort is about protection, not blame.

If you are the one in custody and you feel like you might hurt yourself, please tell a staff member now. You do not have to wait for the right form. You can say the plainest version: “I’m not safe right now. I need to talk to someone.”

You are worth keeping safe. Telling the truth about how you feel is how the people around you can help.

For families: if you know your loved one has a mental-health history, a recent crisis, or has struggled with thoughts of self-harm, this is critical information for the facility to have. You can share it with the jail’s medical or mental-health line so staff can watch for it, even if your loved one finds it hard to say themselves.

05Substance use and withdrawal: please speak up

One of the most important parts of intake is the question about alcohol and drug use. We know this is a hard thing to admit, especially to officials, and especially when you’re afraid. But this is a place where honesty can genuinely protect your life.

Here is the plain truth: withdrawal from alcohol and from opioids can be medically dangerous, and in some cases life-threatening, if it isn’t managed. Alcohol withdrawal in particular can cause seizures and a severe condition called delirium tremens. Opioid withdrawal is intensely painful and can lead to serious dehydration. Medical staff can help you through withdrawal far more safely when they know it’s coming.

• Tell staff what you’ve been using — alcohol, opioids, benzodiazepines, or other substances.
• Tell them how much and how recently — your last drink or last use matters for predicting withdrawal.
• Tell them if you’ve had bad withdrawals before, such as seizures or hallucinations.
• Tell them if you’re in a treatment program, including methadone or buprenorphine, since these need careful handling.

If you’re reading this as a family member and you know your loved one has been drinking heavily or using opioids, this is one of the most important things you can pass along to the facility’s medical line. Withdrawal can begin within hours, and early information helps staff prepare.

06Your prescriptions: how jails handle medication

If you take prescription medication, disclosing it at intake is one of the most important things you can do. It is also one of the areas where families can help the most. Jails generally cannot simply continue your medication on your word alone — they have a process, and understanding it helps everyone.

Why there can be delays

Most facilities have to verify a prescription before they give it. That usually means confirming with your pharmacy or doctor that the medication and dose are real and current. This verification protects you, but it takes time, and it’s a common reason people experience a gap in their medication during the first days. Jails also use a formulary — an approved list of medications they stock — and sometimes they substitute a similar medication from that list rather than the exact brand you take.

None of this means your medication doesn’t matter. It means the system is slow, and you may need to advocate for yourself by asking, repeatedly and politely, about the status of your medication. Keep telling staff what you take and that you need it.

How families can help confirm medications

This is where someone on the outside can make a real difference. Families can take these steps:

1. Make a written list of your loved one’s medications — names, doses, how often, and the prescribing doctor.
2. Contact the jail and ask for the medical or nursing line. Tell them which medications your loved one takes and that they need verification.
3. Have the pharmacy’s name and phone number ready so staff can verify quickly.
4. Ask the prescribing doctor’s office whether they can confirm the prescription if the jail calls.
5. Follow up. A polite second call a day later can keep things from falling through the cracks.

07TB testing, vitals, and the physical checks

Beyond the questions, intake usually includes some basic physical checks. These are routine and quick, and they help staff get a baseline picture of your health.

You can generally expect:

• Vital signs — blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and sometimes blood-sugar or oxygen readings.
• A tuberculosis (TB) screening — often a skin test or a questionnaire, because TB can spread in shared living spaces and jails screen for it routinely.
• A general look for visible injuries, signs of illness, or signs of withdrawal.
• Weight and height in some facilities.

If a TB skin test is done, it usually needs to be read a couple of days later, so staff may check it again. If you’ve had TB or a positive TB test before, tell them — it changes how they read the result.

These checks are also a chance for you to mention anything you forgot earlier. If a question reminded you of a condition or a medication, say so. Intake is not a single locked moment; you can keep adding important information as it comes to you.

08Disability and accommodation needs

If you have a disability or need an accommodation, intake is the time to say so. This includes physical, sensory, intellectual, and other disabilities. Facilities are generally expected to provide reasonable accommodations, but they can only do that when they know what you need.

Some examples of needs worth raising right away:

• Mobility needs — a wheelchair, walker, cane, or a lower bunk and accessible space.
• Hearing or vision needs — hearing aids, glasses, or help communicating, including a sign-language interpreter.
• Medical equipment — a CPAP machine for sleep apnea, a prosthetic, or other devices.
• Cognitive or developmental needs — extra time, simpler explanations, or help understanding instructions.
• Communication needs — interpretation if English isn’t your first language. You have the right to understand what’s happening.

Be as specific as you can about what helps you function day to day. “I can’t climb to a top bunk because of my back” or “I can’t hear without my hearing aids” gives staff something concrete to act on.

09How to request medical care after intake: sick-call and kites

Intake is only the beginning. Once you’re settled into the facility, you’ll need a way to ask for medical or mental-health care when something comes up. Most jails use a system commonly called a sick-call request or a kite.

A kite is a written request — sometimes a paper form, sometimes an electronic message on a tablet or kiosk — that you submit to ask for care, a medication refill, or a chance to talk with medical or mental-health staff. Learning how this works early saves stress later.

1. Ask an officer or fellow resident how to submit a sick-call request or kite in your unit.
2. Write clearly what’s wrong and what you need — for example, “I ran out of my blood-pressure medication” or “I’ve had a fever for two days.”
3. Keep it factual and specific. Note how long it’s been happening and how it feels.
4. Submit it the way your facility requires, and note the date you sent it.
5. If you don’t hear back, submit another one. Persistence is sometimes necessary, and it is okay to keep asking.

If something is urgent and can’t wait for the kite process — severe pain, trouble breathing, chest pain, a mental-health crisis — tell the nearest staff member out loud right away. The written-request system is for routine care, not emergencies.

You are allowed to ask for help. Asking again when no one answers is not being difficult — it’s taking care of yourself.

10Your right to care and what to do if you feel unsafe

People in custody have a right to necessary medical and mental-health care. The system can be slow and frustrating, and that’s real — but the underlying right is real too. Knowing that can help you keep advocating when it’s hard.

If you ever feel unsafe — whether that’s a medical emergency, a mental-health crisis, or fear for your physical safety — there are things you can do right now:

• Tell staff directly and plainly that you are not safe or that you need medical help.
• Use clear words about what’s happening: “I think I’m having a heart problem,” “I’m in withdrawal,” or “I’m thinking about hurting myself.”
• Keep asking if you don’t get a response. Calmly repeat your request to the next staff member you see.
• If you can, tell your family on a call so they can advocate from the outside too.

This guide cannot replace the judgment of medical professionals, and procedures differ by facility. But the core message holds everywhere: if you are in crisis, asking for help is the right thing to do, and you deserve to be heard.

11How families can advocate from the outside

When someone you love is in custody, you may feel powerless. You are not. Families are often the reason a facility learns about a critical condition in time, and your steady advocacy matters.

Concrete things you can do:

1. Locate your loved one and confirm which facility they’re in. Knowing the correct facility is the first step to reaching the right medical line.
2. Call the jail and ask for the medical or nursing line. Many facilities have a way for families to share urgent health information.
3. Report critical conditions clearly — diabetes, heart disease, seizures, pregnancy, serious mental-health needs, or heavy alcohol or opioid use that could mean dangerous withdrawal.
4. Provide medication details and the pharmacy and doctor information so staff can verify prescriptions.
5. Keep a dated log of who you spoke with and what you told them, in case you need to follow up.
6. Follow up politely but persistently. A calm second call can keep important information from slipping through.

InMato is a free service built for exactly this first stretch. We help families locate a loved one in participating county jails and connect to the facility’s official, licensed commissary and phone providers with verified deposit steps — money never passes through us; it goes straight to the official provider. For families who want more support during this overwhelming time, an optional InMato+ upgrade adds booking and status alerts, bail and attorney referrals, chaplain connections, and a community of families who understand. Everything is available in English and Spanish.

A final word, for whoever is reading this. The first hours in custody are frightening, and the screening can feel cold and fast. But its whole purpose is to keep you safe. Tell the truth. Ask for help. Keep asking. You are not alone in this, and the people who love you are working to reach you. This guide is general information and emotional support — it is not medical or legal advice, and in any medical or mental-health emergency, tell staff immediately.