tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post1917539477522803688..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Using jails for mental health treatment an expensive, counterproductive approachGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-8309950316256959122008-07-24T10:25:00.000-05:002008-07-24T10:25:00.000-05:00vnnlamxlYes... Something needs to be done. Last we...vnnlamxlYes... Something needs to be done. Last week(Wednesday) we had a young man die in the Potter County jail following a scuffle and subsequent arrest at the probation office. No doubt he had a mental health issue. The situation was totally mishandled. They found him dead in his jail cell the following Saturday.Probation officers should be trained or at least stay in close contact with a TCOOMMI officer when dealing with offenders with mental health issues.The actual cause of death is not known at this point. Attorney Jeff Blackburn, is ordering an independent autopsy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-17989401707134018102008-07-24T07:50:00.000-05:002008-07-24T07:50:00.000-05:00Grits: I have been told for years by reliable sou...Grits: I have been told for years by reliable sources that much of the blame for our having to use jails for mental health treatment can be directly traced back to Reagan who, while Governor of California, closed many of that State's mental health facilities, dumping those patients out on the streets to subsequently become the problem of law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Then, when he became President, Reagan oversaw the reduction of federal mental health funding, resulting in other states being forced to do what California had done.<BR/><BR/>It is much more expensive to deal with this problem in the jails rather in the hospitals. MH diversion programs, just like substance abuse diversion programs, DO work and should be increased. Treatment at the source is much more efficient. It's a classic "You can pay me now or payme later" scenario.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-84576766980928486642008-07-23T09:53:00.000-05:002008-07-23T09:53:00.000-05:00I will just add that in my experience, juvenile de...I will just add that in my experience, juvenile detention facilities experience the exact same problems as the number of mentally ill kids increases year after year. Getting MHMR intervention depends on where you live. The problem is growing fast year after year.<BR/><BR/>PlatoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-40314866005883621082008-07-23T07:00:00.000-05:002008-07-23T07:00:00.000-05:00I selected a group of jail inmates that had been b...I selected a group of jail inmates that had been booked three or more times in a year and tried to figure out what they had in common.<BR/><BR/> What they have in common is they don't do anything serious enough to attract the attention of the county attorney. Their mean time between returns to jail is about 60 days and that is too long for the jail staff to think they are a serious problem that should be dealt with. <BR/><BR/>Their crime profiles are similar to those you described in your post. They are responsible for a substantial fraction of the bookings so they generate significant ordinary costs and when you add the costs of the drugs they use they are very expensive prisoners that deserve attention for no other reason than cost control.<BR/><BR/>I live in a community that does not want mentally ill persons in jail but they are still there (not as many as before we started a MH diversion program). As you noted as soon as they leave jail many of them stop taking their medication and sooner or later they return to jail. To break this cycle we may have to violate their civil rights.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com