Pubdate: Tue, 26 Feb 2002 Source: Waukesha Freeman (WI) Copyright: 2002 The Waukesha Freeman Contact: (262) 542-8259 Website: http://www.freemanol.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/770 Author: Brian Huber FINLEY TO ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH AS JAIL ISSUE County Exec Says Treatment Possible Alternative To Jail Crowding WAUKESHA - More complete treatment of mentally ill people will help keep them from returning to jail or getting there in the first place, County Executive Daniel Finley said Monday. "It's a trade-off. We can either keep building bigger jails or we can try to prevent people from going into the jails," Finley said. "We believe we need to spend money on programs to deal with people's mental illness as an alternative to putting people in jails." That will be the theme of Finley's speech to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Waukesha at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The speech will take place at the Waukesha County Mental Health Center, 1501 Airport Road. Linked To Drug Abuse Two of the largest factors in why people end up behind bars are drug abuse and mental illness, Finley said. Those two factors are "inextricably linked" because drug abuse can sometimes trigger a mental health problem and, in other cases, people try to self-medicate existing mental health conditions with prescription drugs, illegal drugs or alcohol, he explained. Finley said the county is looking at various programs to help county jail inmates receive the care they need after they leave the jail so they do not return. The Criminal Justice Task Force headed by county Director of Human Services Peter Schuler has been studying this issue and is expected to release its recommendations soon. Finley said some of those recommendations might include alternatives to incarceration. He added that the recommendations were due later this year so that some of them could be incorporated into Finley's proposed 2003 budget for the county. That way, they could be reviewed for effectiveness before the county begins a $60 million expansion of the county jail in 2004. Ann Day, executive director of NAMI Waukesha, said the mental health issue is a growing one in Waukesha County. Its growth is due to a expanding county population as well as society's changing views of mental illness. Where there was once a significant social stigma for mentally ill people, better understanding of their conditions has led to improved treatment and a realization by society that mental illness strikes people regardless of race or class, Day said. Shutting The Revolving Door A 1998 study showed that 16 percent of inmates in county jails and state prisons nationally were affected by mental illness. For women, 24 percent of that population reported a mental health condition, Day said. Day added that one of the major goals of her organization is to reduce the "revolving door" cycle that keeps mentally ill people in and out of jails. She said a key way to do that is to provide alternatives to incarceration that help people manage their illnesses. Mental health courts have been set up in some places around the country where people are sentenced to get treatment rather than receive jail time. In Waukesha County, a community support program follows up on mentally ill people, tracks their progress and supervises them to be sure they are taking required medications, Day said. "In Dane County they have taken it one step further, and with people who are in jail with mental health issues, they are diverted into treatment rather than jail time. They have shown that jail time was reduced by 77 percent, which is very significant," she said. "They wouldn't be incarcerated while they get treatment. They would live in the community while receiving treatment, but in doing so would stop committing the minor infractions that land them in jail again and again." Finley said that locally, as many as 70 percent of county jail inmates return at one time or another, and alternative treatments might help bring that number down. "The goal is to reduce that," he said. "We know there are some people who are always going to be in and out of jail, but there are a number of people who, with support, can make it in the community." Facts about mental illness: One of every four U.S. families has a member who is affected by mental illness. The American Jail Association estimates that as many as 700,000 people with mental illnesses are incarcerated every year. Upon their release, many of them have only a few days' worth of medication, no place to stay and no treatment plan. A community treatment program in Madison, operating since 1991, has reduced jail time by 77 percent. More than 60 percent of program participants were employed. Only 13 percent of program participants required hospitalization for psychiatric treatment during their first year in the program. At least 77 percent of program participants live on their own. After completing the program as required by the courts, 89 percent of participants voluntarily continued their involvement. Source: National Alliance for the Mentally Ill - --- MAP posted-by: Beth