Who is the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition?

Our mission is to reverse the trend of mass incarceration in Colorado. We are a coalition of nearly 7,000 individual members and over 100 faith and community organizations who have united to stop perpetual prison expansion in Colorado through policy and sentence reform.

Our chief areas of interest include drug policy reform, women in prison, racial injustice, the impact of incarceration on children and families, the problems associated with re-entry and stopping the practice of using private prisons in our state.

If you would like to be involved please go to our website and become a member.


Saturday, May 30, 2009

Mental Health Care Needed

Canon City Daily Record

The link between untreated mental disease and incarceration is especially frightening. In 2007, the Colorado Department of Corrections estimated approximately 60 percent of the inmate population had some type of mental illness, while nearly 29 percent of those had a serious mental health need.

“Without proper behavioral health treatment, these individuals have a greater likelihood to recidivate and return to prison,” Delgado said.

The prevalence of mental illness in the prison system costs taxpayers more in the long run. Estimates range between $6,000 and $8,000 a year to treat a mentally-ill offender in the community, which prevents many nuisance crimes. However, incarcerating them costs between $25,000 and $65,000 a year.

“And, that offers minimal, if any, remedial benefit,” Delgado said.

Colorado’s community mental health system served a record 84,500 people in 2007. Figures for 2008 were not available, but Delgado said the system likely surpassed that mark by a wide margin last year.

Despite the progress, hundreds of thousands of people across the state still are not receiving the care they need. In 2007, 15.1 percent of Coloradans reported receiving mental health treatment, while another 12 percent of the state’s population reported not seeking health care because of cost.

“Mental illnesses and substance abuse are more common than cancer, diabetes, and heart disease,” Delgado said. “People with mental illness occupy more hospital beds than persons with cancer, diabetes and heart disease occupy combined.”

Delgado said mental illnesses are biologically-based brain diseases that can be effectively treated with medications.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The mental health care required for inmates is far less than the gargantuan amount that the judges and prosecutors require. You will find the severe mental illnesses in the judicial and criminal 'justice' professions.

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