Intervention For the Menally Ill
Efforts are underway to find ways to keep the mentally ill from stacking up in Denver's jails, and the reverberations could affect surrounding communities as well.
The initiatives range from hiring treatment specialists to help the mentally ill in the jails to the creation of a specialized mental health docket at Denver's courthouse.
Another effort to create crisis centers in Denver and surrounding suburbs that would intervene and stabilize the mentally ill before they commit a crime has attracted the support of Colorado's first lady Jeannie Ritter, the wife of Gov. Bill Ritter.
Nearly 17 percent of inmates at Denver's jails, or 350 people, have serious mental health problems, ranging from schizophrenia to manic depression, according to the calculations of jail officials.
"And there are others with less serious mental illnesses who are able to function in the jail and receive treatment, but in all cases, once they're released from the jail, they hit this cliff," said Bill Lovingier, Denver's director of corrections.
Three months ago, the jail hired two mental-health case managers to help address the needs of that population.
Lovingier said the new employees are supposed to help find ways to help ease the mentally ill into services once they leave the jail, in the hope they will be less likely to reoffend.
The Denver Post
1 comment:
This a wonderful link for those incarcerated with mental health issues. I hope that the assist is to refer them to a mental health center with a follow-up. Even through the individual (normally) should do it on their own, the individual with mental health issues, will be more prone to do it knowing that the system is referring them. My former partner with MH issues would be more compliant with those types of links. Thank you.
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