People living with mental illness are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. It is estimated that 1 million people with mental illnesses are arrested and booked in the U.S. each year. This is no surprise to anyone who reads the local news. Criminal arrests and convictions in our community are frequently revolving around defendants with confirmed mental health issues. After last month’s law office tragedy, we are only too aware that local attorneys frequently find themselves representing mentally ill clients who can become dangerous.
The bigger problem is that mental illness is an affliction that our society hasn’t found a perfect way to manage. In the early days of our country, the mentally ill were cared for at home by their relatives, which was easier when people lived in rural communities with open spaces and fewer neighbors. What became known as the “insane asylum” became more standard as our society became more urban and mobile. (Read this interesting article about Minnesota’s history of institutionalizing the mentally ill.) These asylums developed a bad reputation in the 20th Century for their record of human rights violations, and many people understandably cheered the deinstitutionalization movement of the 1970’s. Unfortunately, the end result was thousands of people needing help in managing their mental conditions, and not getting it. Instead, their resulting instability often landed them behind bars. And whereas people might feel safer when the people they consider to be dangerous are locked up, jails seldom offer the consistent structure and treatment needed for their mental conditions.
It is step in the right direction that lawmakers are considering the best training for law enforcement in handling mental health calls. Other positive steps within the criminal justice system for handling the mentally ill include Minnesota’s 48 hour rule and the 2nd Judicial District Mental Health Court. Albeit positive steps, they are no substitute for ongoing care and maintenance that the mentally ill are likely to need. Read more about the dilemma in this recent Pioneer Press article. The New York Times is also featuring an in-depth editorial discussion on this subject.
