No. of Recommendations: 4
Devil's in the details. There's been a shift in the last couple of years in attitudes about whether it is compassionate or appropriate to let people choose to avoid treatment. Michigan used to have a sizeable network of state mental hospitals. The Gov, a Repub, closed most of them down, taking a lot of spending off of the state budget. So, now, the people roam the streets. Eventually, they break a law, and land in the county jail. They are still incarcerated, but their housing and medication is now on the county jail's budget, instead of the state's.
The dumping ground: how jails and prisons have become the last hope for Michigan's mentally ill
"The state and the federal government have pretty much walked away, in my opinion," said Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard. "Jails have become the dumping ground."
In 1997, then-Governor John Engler issued a press release announcing the closure of Michigan’s “underutilized” state mental hospitals, moving most patients out of the state’s 16 mental hospitals and into the care of providers in the community.
Since the hospitals started to close, Sheriff Bouchard says the number of mentally ill inmates in his jail has more than tripled. Men and women picked up for usually minor offenses like trespassing or disorderly conduct. In Wayne Couny, it’s the same story. Jails Chief Jeriel Heard says these inmates cost the most to treat, and return most often.wxyz.com - The dumping ground how jails and prisons have become the last hope for michigans mentally illSo how does the new scheme differ from the state hospitals of 40 years ago? And, what of the people, like the Michigan Congressman, who are perfectly fine, work like a dog, but are paid so little they can't afford a permanent home?
Steve
