Articles & News

February 27, 2009

Mental health court is right move for county

In Michigan, about 25 percent of the state's estimated 49,000 prisoners have some history of mental illness, while an estimated 10 percent are diagnosed with a severe mental illness, according to Michigan Department of Corrections statistics.

Those are sobering numbers. And while there's no doubt that a good many of those people need to be behind bars — either because of the severity of their crimes, or because they still pose a danger to others — many of them could have been spared prison time if they had been able to receive proper mental health care earlier in the process.

That's why we're pleased to see that Livingston County is establishing a mental health court.

The Intensive Treatment Court, which District Judge Carol Sue Reader will oversee, is a diversion program for nonviolent offenders from District Court and Circuit Court in need of mental health treatment and community services.

It is for those with "severe and persistent" mental health issues, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or similar diagnoses.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm is pushing the mental health court concept as a way to divert mentally ill people from the criminal justice system and get them into treatment, a concept we strongly support. The governor's 2009 executive budget includes $2.3 million to pay for pilot mental health courts.

Livingston County's program will be one of nine pilots in the state funded by a grant from the state Supreme Court Administrator's Office. Livingston County's grant is worth $12,500, and the county's Community Mental Health Department is receiving a $15,000 grant for assessments.

This is a program that makes sense on many levels. If Livingston County can get nonviolent offenders into treatment, it will benefit the people involved and it will hopefully allow them to live a life that doesn't include arrests and jail time. In the long run, it should also help Michigan lower its budget-busting prison population, which ranks as one of the highest in the Midwest on a per-capita basis.

Officials are hopeful that this new program will be a success, and we share that optimism.

"My belief is it doesn't serve the person or our society to put someone in jail who has severe and persistent mental illness," said Mac Miller, executive director of CMH. "What is necessary is to get that person appropriate treatment. If we get them treatment, we probably reduce their (chance of) doing (a crime) again."

They aren't likely to get that treatment if they're sitting in jail, simply because the resources aren't there to provide it.

"We make do because we have to," Livingston County Undersheriff Michael Murphy said. "When you have a history of mental illness and it's diagnosed, is jail the best place for you? No, I don't think so."

We agree. Again, there are some people who need to be behind bars. But if we can safely divert some of the nonviolent offenders and get them the treatment they need to become a productive member of society, that's the direction we should take.