Mental Health Crisis #2: The Cost to Taxpayers and Alternative Remedies Implemented by Local Courts

Image courtesy of everystockphoto.com

Image courtesy of everystockphoto.com

The astronomical cost to taxpayers for the treatment of mentally ill patients in prisons is about to skyrocket.  The Quad-Cities Dispatched obtained state documents which show Illinois taxpayers “will be billed more than $17.8 million to turn existing prison space into mental health care facilities.”

Closed prisons, such as the juvenile prison in Joliet, will be converted to facilities suitable for seriously mentally ill inmates.  The cost to convert 48 cells at the maximum security Pontiac prison is $800,000.

In an effort to combat the mental health crisis, Cook County established the Felony Mental Health Court Program which “seeks to address the disproportionate involvement of individuals with mental illness in the criminal justice system.”  The program was implemented in 2004 and “assists individuals arrested for nonviolent, nonsexual felonies who have some level of mental health issues and problems with alcohol or other drugs.”  However, there are strict eligibility requirements: offenders must have “an identifiable diagnosed mental illness” and “be charged with a felony, generally non-violent, offense.”  Click here for information on the program from the Cook County Court website.

Joe McMahon, the Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney, plans to follow in the steps of Cook County and take action to do what he can with his office to divert the number of mentally ill patients ending up in jail.  McMahon stressed to the Tribune that there is a high correlation between mentally ill individuals and involvement with the criminal justice system.  McMahon wants to hire an additional attorney to work in Kane County’s treatment alternative court.  These alternative courts allow selected non-violent offenders the opportunity to address their mental health issues, hopefully reducing their run-ins with the law.  McMahon defined a “typical candidate would be someone with a borderline personality disorder” that has had negative experience with law enforcement and is “self-medicating with illegal drugs.”

If you or someone you know suffers from mental illness and has had a run-in with law enforcement, call LauraLaw for a free consultation.  Even if you do not qualify for the Felony Mental Health Court Program, there may be other options for you.  It is important to hire an attorney knowledgeable in the different treatment options and potential case disposition outcomes that will resolve your case to your satisfaction.


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