(May 4, 2016) In another outrageous and devastating example of our national psychiatric bed shortage, Colorado state lawmakers are debating legislation that would place people in the middle of a psychotic episode in jail – even though they haven’t committed a crime. The bill has already passed in the Senate and is now in the House (“Debate rages over holding mentally ill patients,” 9 News, May 3).
The implicit logic is that if a person is a danger to themselves or others it’s better to hold them in the controlled environment of a jail than to release them.
But jails are NOT an appropriate place for people suffering from untreated mental illness.
“It’s not a therapeutic environment,” 9NEWS psychologist Dr. Max Wachtel said. “They’re isolated. They’re being watched all the time, wearing something weird, and knowing that they’re in jail when they haven’t done anything wrong.”
Advocates for people with mental illness are outraged, arguing that the legislation is unconstitutional, criminalizes mental illness and punishes people who have done nothing wrong.
This goes against everything the justice system stands for – Colorado is “treating” mental illness through incarceration.
In an event earlier this month, Gov. John Hickenlooper recognized the achievements of Colorado Crisis Services – a program started in 2014 to address mental health issues in the community through round-the-clock stabilization centers, a mobile unit, a crisis hotline and respite services. While these services are certainly a step in the right direction, they are not the end-all solution.
What is the real solution? We need to restore public psychiatric beds.
People with severe mental illness deserve #aBedInstead of jail.
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