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Jeff Gerritt: Salvaging lives,savingmoney:Eight pilot courts that divert mentallyill offenders from prison
Michigan's treatment mentally people disgraced state,as hundreds thousands of ill has the of have gonewithout jails treatment endedup in county andstateprisons, and warehoused a costto at taxpayers $35,000 yeareach. of a It'sa common tragic and story:Mentally defendantsoften ill abusing drugs cycle -through the criminaljustice system repeatedly petty for offenses prison untilthey slapped lengthy are with sentences repeatoffenders. as 2008,however, Since eight mental health courtpilotprograms, serving now nearly people 700 ayear, havegiven hopeto mentally illotfenders Angela like DeCant, Henry 35; Smith, andSteven 47; Townsend, Wayne 52. County Circuit Judge Timothy Kenny others and who preside overthe courts have option sentencing to 18 months intensely the of probation treatment. them of supervised and Working community-based with nonprofits Detroit like Central Community City Mental Health, participants medications, get prevention attendrelapse classes group and therapy, meetwith psychiatrists, undergo residential treatment, talkwithjob andhousing and specialists gettheirlives to ontrack. . On http://www.freepopinion.com">FreepOpinion.com: HendersonViolence, -Stephen fear, distrust leadership weakto breakthecycle and too . Whatdo you think?http://www. com/article/99999999/opinionO4 freep. /50926009?odyssey=modl newswellltextl Opinionl more">Send a letter theeditor us to Thepilotcourts work at a fraction thecostof incarceration. theywillendSept.30,whenthe of But grant annual federal expires, unless governor stateLegislature another the and find $1.65-million way to payfor them. Forstarters, Gov RickSnyder put$1 million thementalhealth has for courts his2013budget, in but jails legislators mustdo evenbetter. Withcounty andstateprisons becoming Michigan's largest mental health institutions, is no timeto enda raresuccess this story.

Salvaginglives
Over the last two decades,mentalhealthcare in Michigan has eroded, leavinghundreds thousands of jails and state prisons. withouttreatment and pushing manyof them intocounty But new mentalhealthcourts are startingto reversethis dangerous trend by divertingmentallyill defendants from incarceration intensive, to community-based treatment. Since2008, the state has run eight such pilot courts.The Michigan Department Community of Health and State CourtAdministrative grant that providesabout Office administers federalstimulus a a to mentalhealth $500,000 year for the courtsand another services in $1.1 million bolstercommunity the surrounding communities. the three-yeargrant expireslater this year, and the mentalhealth But court pilotswill end unlessthe state Legislature finds anotherway to fund them. Convinced that treatingmentallyill defendantsis more effectivethan lockingthem up, Gov Rick Snyderhas allocated million mentalhealth for courtsin his proposed 2013 budget. $1 Legislators oughtto approvethe money,and look for ways to expandmentalhealthcourts by

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moremoney community for health earmarking treatment. Mental health courts won'tsucceed without programs. treatment Local adequate courts could alsoapplyfor federal Substance AbuseandMental grants. Health Services Either way,it'stheright andsmart thing do.Community -to treatment costs$10,000 yearper a person, less,compared nearly or for to $35,000 incarceration. Michigan's mental health courtpilotprograms servenearly people year.Roughly are felony 700 a half offenders. Mostare diagnosed bipolar with disorder, schizophreniadepression, morethanhalf or and have drugs alcohol. pilotprograms The abused and cover Wayne, Berrien, Oakland, Genesee, Grand Traverse, Jackson, ClairandLivingston St. Counties. Related: . http://www.freep.cor/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AlD=2011111270434">After hospitals, psychiatric closing Michigan incarcerates mentally ill . http://www.freep.con/apos/pbcs.dll/article?AlD=2012202050442">ln illget prison, mentally punishment instead treatment of Participants typically have cycled through criminaljustice the repeatedly pettycrimes system for getting without treated theirrootproblems. break cycle,mental for To this health courtsdivertselected jails nonviolent defendants awaiting in county intoclosely trial supervised community treatment programs. program voluntary. teamof probation psychiatrists, is The A agents, doctors, counselors, providers employment housing work casemanagers, and specialists withoffenders during a probationary period typically that lasts18 months. progress, In Wayne Timothy County, Circuit Judge Kenny conducts weekly statusreviews monitor to offerencouraging wordsand,whennecessary, corrective take action, including ordering clients to perform community service eventerminating fromthe program. or them "Anyone worksinthecriminaljustice who -system recognizes whatwe weredoing that before recycling samefolksthrough ineffective," the overandover-- was totally Kenny said.

From herointo hope

Angela DeCantwill neverforget how she lookedon April 11, 2011.To make sure she doesn't, DeCant, 35, of LincolnPark keeps her mug shot, courtesyof the WayneCountyJail, taped to the refrigerator. Beforeenteringthe countyjail, DeCantspentthree days in a holding cell in Romulus, withdrawingfrom heroin. Grippedby hot and cold sweats,chills and diarrhea, DeCant vomitedrepeatedly and couldn't eat. "l was so sick -- | lookedlike a piece of s---," she said. "Everytime I thinkabout using,I look at that picture." Charged with breaking-and-entering drug possession, and DeCant faced up to 15 years in prison. Her road to jail started early. DeCantgrew up in a homethat often lackedfood and electricity;she was molestedby a relative.When she was 9, policeremovedher and her three youngersisters from the home;the court grantedcustodyof DeCantto a relative.4t22, she was diagnosed with bipolar, post-traumatic stress and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders. "l knewtherewas something different aboutme,"she said."My emotions were alwaystakento the extreme." DeCantstarted taking lithium, Xanaxand Seroquelbut failedto take her medications regularly. After her adoptivefather died three years ago, she startedto self-medicate with Vicodin,a habitthat led to heroin. "With him, I finallyfelt protected,"she said. "After he died of canceron my birthday,I didn'twant to live anymore."

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But stripclubs. by 2009,shewas in and goodmoney a waitress as a dancer local as made DeCant her the The herboyfriend. night two were arrested, a up spending to-$OOOday for drugsfor herand him collared for wherepolice Romulus, to ner boyfrienihadpicked upfromthe clubanddriven said. DeCant into "l facility. wokeupto himbreaking a unit," into breaking a storage to agreed enter watch,DeCant jailfor 45 days,whereshewas on a suicide in Aftersitting thecounty program in drug residential treatment a Shecompleted 90-day court. h-ealth mental County's Wayne Park. Highland her and medication, helped find her, courtteamdiagnosed putheron anti-psychotic health Themental five for nearly months. whereshehasworked restaurant, job at a full-time as a waitress a Southgate a Two farming. weeksago,shebought 2001Volkswagen. in a alio earned certificate urban DeCant with and groupsessions, meetsregularly her and prevention classes trauma relapse Sheattends in classes college will GEDin2001, startcommunity a who DeCant, earned and therapist psychiatrist. in degree socialwork' to and summer plans earna four-year this doneit without have one my she "l'mecstatic," said."l'mreaching goals, at a time,butI couldn't him." wantto disappoint I don't program. Even judgeis encouraging. the

to Opportunity succeed
wtth four Consideredhabitual faced even harshersentences. Some mentalhealthcourt participants retailfraud, HenrySmith,47, of Detroit,faced up to life in prison for prior convictions theft, iarcenyand an for identifytheft involving ATM. electronics Smithstarted usingheroin20 years ago. Later,to supporthis addiction,he stole clothes' became Smithgradually plastics industry, and soldthem.A skilledlaborerin the and otherproducts He unemployable. was in prisonfrom 1999to 2003. abusedas a child,Smithenteredfoster care at the age of 3. At 16, he was Sexualy and physically stress. disordersand post-traumatic with personality diagnosed I of he "l livedin fear and paranoia," said."Withthe euphoria heroin, felt like I was in my own little world." jail, Smithwent Smithenteredthe mentalhealthcourt programin May. After four monthsin the county programin Detroit.Now he housing for treatment 90 days,thenentereda transitional to residential weekly,and sees a therapist regularly, takes his medications classes, attendsrelapseprevention ln works with a job coordrnator. May, he will start classesat wayne county communitycollege District. peoplegiveshimthe same highdrugsonce did Helping He plansto becomea therapist. so he "This isn,tso mucha sentenceas an opportunity," said. "Everyoneis pushingme. I've achieved much.Now I want to achievemore."

One last chance

of number is courtparticipants 39; theaverage health age the County, average for mental In Wayne 52, Townsend, ol Highland like For nine.Nealf hlf are homeless. people Steven priorconvictionsis courtoffersa lastchance health mental crimeconvictions, andoiherproperty Fark,witheightlarceny around. to turntheirlives used Townsend crack,on and olf, for 25 depression, and disorder severe with Diagnosed bipolar "Drugs his from1979to 1992, life unraveled' Detroit for watermeters the cityof y""is. Afterinstaliing and unemployed and "l he said. was homeless hopeless, illness," my the amplified effectJof mental unemployable."

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No more. Townsend entered mental the health courtprogram months afterhisarreston a creditcard four ago fraudcharge thatcouldhavesenthimto prison fouryears. for Aftercompleting residential a drug program, moved transitional treatment he into housing, wherehe plans stayfor a yearwhileworking to on employment education. attends group and He sessions takeshismedications, and including mood stabilizers anti-depressants.meets and He witha psychiatrist monthly. andhiscasemanager He are working secure birth to his certificate statelD. Theprogram alsohelping and is get Townsend Social payhimabout Security disability, which would A of High $700a month. graduate Kettering School, Townsend startcommunity will college classes spring summer. this or "People herearecaring supportive, it'shard fallthrough cracks," said."l thank and so to the he God for hitting bottom. Othenivise, I wouldn't here." be Every successful mental health courtcasemeans mental a illness treated, fewercrimevictims, and possibly hundreds thousands dollars of of saved incarceration in costs. By thisfall,theDepartment Community of Health, contracting Michigan with StateUniversity, will release evaluation themental an on health courts, including information recidivism on rates, new arrests andtreatment costs.Butpreliminary results showtheeightpilotcourtshavereduced recidivism andjailtime,saidAngela Minicuci, spokeswoman thedepartment. for An earlier studyby the StateCourtAdministrative Officereported nearly that allthosecompleting the program problems, least showed fewermental health at 200daysof sobriety, almost and 100% prescribed compliance taking with medications. Although clients their typically have history frequent a of criminal problems convictions ongoing and caused mental by illness substance and abuse, mental health courts proving are effective Michigan in wherecostlier lesshumane and alternatives failed. have Whilepoliticians continue evaluate to the program, must they ensure oneof Michigan's mental that few health success stories doesn't end.

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