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.