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
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