Psychiatric News July 16, 2004
Volume 39 Number 14
© 2004 American Psychiatric Association
p. 8
Grant Program Could Bring Innovation To Criminal Justice MH Care
Christine Lehmann
Mental health advocates praise a House subcommittee for taking action on
a bill that would help mentally ill people in the criminal justice
system.
APA was among those who submitted a statement to a House subcommittee last
month on legislation designed to improve the identification and treatment of
people with mental illness in the criminal justice system.
"People with mental illnesses make up one of the most vulnerable and
treatable populations in our society," APA said in a written statement
to the subcommittee, "and yet they are being housed in our most punitive
institutions."
The hearing came a year after the legislation, known as the Mentally Ill
Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (HR 2387), was introduced in the
House by Rep. Ted Strickland (D-Ohio). The Senate passed its version of the
bill (S 1194) last fall, shortly after it was introduced by Sen. Mike DeWine
(R-Ohio).
The chair of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security is
Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.), and the ranking Democrat is Rep. Robert Scott
(D-Va.). The two were praised by the Campaign for Mental Health Reform, a
national coalition representing people with mental illnesses, their families,
service providers and mental health advocates including APA, for convening the
hearing and urged the House committee to act swiftly on the bill.
APA also pointed out in its statement that people with mental illnesses are
significantly overrepresented in jails and prisons, are much more expensive to
incarcerate than other inmates, are incarcerated longer than other inmates,
and would be better served economically and medically by being treated in
their communities.
The legislation would authorize the attorney general to award nonrenewable
grants for collaborative and comprehensive proposals designed for adults or
juveniles with mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance
abuse disorders. The grants would be used by eligible applicants to create or
expand the following:
- Mental health courts or other court-based programs for qualified
offenders.
- Programs that offer specialized training to the officers and employees of a
criminal or juvenile justice agency and mental health personnel in procedures
for identifying the symptoms of mental illnesses.
- Programs that support cooperative efforts by criminal, juvenile justice,
and mental health agencies to promote public safety by offering mental health
and substance abuse treatment services.
- Programs that support intergovernmental cooperation between state and local
governments regarding mentally ill offenders.
The bill requires the attorney general to work with the secretary of Health
and Human Services to establish an interagency task force to identify policies
that promote or hinder local collaborative initiatives.
In addition, the attorney general would have to develop a list of best
practices for appropriate diversion from incarceration of adult and juvenile
offenders.
"There is no question that an extremely complex situation has led to
our jails and prisons becoming the primary system of care for people with
serious mental illnesses in the United States. There is also no question that
something must be done to change it," APA emphasized in its
statement.
"We need to realign our fiscal resources to enable this. The Mentally
Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act is an important step in this
process. APA strongly encourages passage of HR 2387/S 1194."
The legislation can be accessed online at
<http://thomas.loc.gov>
by searching on the bill number, HR 2387 or S 1194. 
Get information about faster international access.
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