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