Treatment Instead of Incarceration

[queenlynch]

This is a link to an event that is intended to educate WI residence on the misuse of our prison systems. It is better to provide treatment than to simply lock away far too many people with substance abuse and mental health issues, but we also need to educate the public on the racial disparities that all too often accompany mass incarceration practices. Just thought I would help out the cause and make it available to all who want to join. Click http://esther-foxvalley.org/sites/al...=207&qid=52079 To see the details.

Thanks,
Queen

P.S. Even if you aren't from WI the information is relevant and can be used by all states to reevaluate the use of the prison system.

[yourself]

actually, Illinois has TASC laws in place that allow for treatment instead of incarceration for qualifying crimes. It's the whole carrot and stick mentality - you do TASC probation, and all relevant treatment, and the conviction goes away with no incarceration.

http://www.tasc.org/preview/index.html

Iowa has a similar system.

Unfortunately, it's again responsive instead of preventative. Further, it does nothing for your standard mental health issues and those with dual diagnoses have as much difficulty dealing with TASC types of probation as they do with incarceration.

It's usually much easier, and much less expensive to get street drugs than to get proper psychiatric treatment. There aren't enough community based outreach programs out there to help the mentally ill before they come to the attention of law enforcement. Thanks to budget cuts, there's really not much out there.

The peer system of outreach has gained teeth and support in some states. Respites are popping up in some states. Unfortunately, mental health treatment is not integrated into the community, and most rural community mental health systems are well over taxed. Let's face it, one DBSA meeting per week isn't going to help somebody stay off LEO's radar when a person's in or nearing crisis.

Further, as a community, we suck at educating people to invoke LEO to take a person who's in crisis and a danger to himself or others to a hospital and not a jail. Too often, people call 9-1-1, say they're afraid of their LO who's out of control, and that gets interpreted as a DV, or a property crime, leading to arrest. If instead of calling LEO without a plan, LO call LEO asking for a mental welfare check, or familiarize themselves with the laws regarding mental health holds in hospitals, lots of people would find themselves in a hospital for 72 hours instead of in jail.

And, unfortunately, these are all crises systems. They do nothing for prevention or outreach outside of a crisis. Ideally, a person can experience emotional distress and get appropriate, integrated help without having to get to crisis. But, that would also require a change in public stigma perceptions, as well as allocations of funds to appropriate outreaches.

[Kelf]

I couldn't get that link to work, but found this on the site:

http://esther-foxvalley.org/content/...x15-task-force

It also provides this link with very good info:

http://prayforjusticeinwi.org/

Queen, I'm not in WI, but you are right, this is very good info!

Originally Posted by queenlynch

This is a link to an event that is intended to educate WI residence on the misuse of our prison systems. It is better to provide treatment than to simply lock away far too many people with substance abuse and mental health issues, but we also need to educate the public on the racial disparities that all too often accompany mass incarceration practices. Just thought I would help out the cause and make it available to all who want to join. Click http://esther-foxvalley.org/sites/al...=207&qid=52079 To see the details.

Thanks,
Queen

P.S. Even if you aren't from WI the information is relevant and can be used by all states to reevaluate the use of the prison system.

[redlady]

My son, 22 years, is incarcerated in Kansas prison. He has been diagnosed with Serious Persistant mental illness since the age of 14. He has lost a brother and sister to suicide, and is high risk for the same. I don't know if I can handle losing another child to this disease. There seems to be no resources to obtain treatment for him.

[yourself]

treatment in lieu of incarceration varies greatly state by state.

treatment while incarcerated also varies greatly state to state, and sometimes facility to facility.

Incarcerated still have the same rights as similarly situated adults outside of the system - if they don't want to acknowledge a mental illness, they don't have to. Treatment cannot be mandated unless the person is a danger to self or others, and forced meds largely follow the same laws.

Be that as it may, psych help in prison is the bare minimum, even for those who want help. Prison is about punishment, it's not so much about rehabilitation these days. And, it's not a psych hospital (even though the largest mental facilities these days are the Cook County jail, the LA County Jail, and other jails). The response of a prison to mental health issues is to solve the safety issue through force, not to actually respond to the mental health issue. If a person is suicidal, their response is to isolate the person naked in a locked room until the person is willing to say, "I'm not going to kill myself". It's not giving him therapy a few times a week, putting him on psych meds, etc. He'll see a psychiatrist once a month or less who'll prescribe the most cost effective drug should the person be willing to take drugs.

Here's what I'd suggest: get involved in NAMI in the location where you're at. Start talking with other LO of mentally ill individuals. Some of them have been where you are now. They'll have ideas of how to try to get the system to be more responsive to your son.

[Adamsmom94]

Originally Posted by redlady

My son, 22 years, is incarcerated in Kansas prison. He has been diagnosed with Serious Persistant mental illness since the age of 14. He has lost a brother and sister to suicide, and is high risk for the same. I don't know if I can handle losing another child to this disease. There seems to be no resources to obtain treatment for him.

Hi my son is 18 and incarcerated in MA. He has adhd,ptsd,and a few other issues. Unfortunately, his medication for his adhd is being withheld because it is technically a "narcotic" . I was thinking last nite as a matter of fact, that yes i understand that the medications can be "cheeked" and used as a "money maker" in the prison system, so, they just take it away. I know my son doesn't do well w/out that medication and could go over the edge without it. Why cant the prison system think of other options, like seeing if there is a liquid equivalent, can the pills be crushed and put in juice??? IDK, I guess this type of thing isnt a high priority for the prison system, but, it really should be. I think those whom are properly medicated have a 99% chance of not re-offending, and, I know that i worry a lot about my son just "losing it" inside and hurting himself or doing something irrational and get into more trouble. I seriously think that there should be more focus on these issues than there is!!! Good Luck to u and ur son. Marie

[fbopnomore]

You don't say where he is locked up. If it is in MA, there is a prison drug formulary that will list the medications that can be prescribed for any diagnosis. If his drug is not on the formulary, they should substitute one that is. He may also be able (if the person treating him agrees to do it) to request a non formulary drug.

This is the individual who is in charge of the MA prison system's uses of RX medications, so you might want to ask him what treatment options are available for your son's ADHD, and why he isn't receiving them.
http://cps.umassmed.edu/about-us/man...eam/erik-hamel

the page takes about 20 seconds to open on my computer.

[Adamsmom94]

Originally Posted by fbopnomore

You don't say where he is locked up. If it is in MA, there is a prison drug formulary that will list the medications that can be prescribed for any diagnosis. If his drug is not on the formulary, they should substitute one that is. He may also be able (if the person treating him agrees to do it) to request a non formulary drug.

This is the individual who is in charge of the MA prison system's uses of RX medications, so you might want to ask him what treatment options are available for your son's ADHD, and why he isn't receiving them.
http://cps.umassmed.edu/about-us/man...eam/erik-hamel

the page takes about 20 seconds to open on my computer.

Thank U very much for the web-site you suggested! I really appreciate it, I have often thought of trying to talk to the "powers that be" in his facility but I didn't want to get him in trouble. I am going to log onto the website u gave me and ask the questions and try to advocate for my son. I hope to hear back from u via pm ur the first person to actually get back to me THANK U SO MUCH GOD BLESS U AND UR FAMILY!!! Marie