Alternatives to incarceration. When people with mental illnesses are arrested for trespassing, drug possession and other nonviolent offenses in Oklahoma City, they are no longer automatically sentenced to jail or probation- -where their illness would probably go untreated. Instead, they can opt for a court specifically designed to give them the treatment and supervision they need. The judge, attorneys and community health organizations collaborate to coordinate treatment and ensure offenders stay on track. The program is the first mental health court in the Southwest United States and part of a growing trend in America to divert nonviolent offenders with substance abuse and mental health problems from jail into treatment. Ted Strickland (D- Ohio), a former maximum- security prison psychologist. Similarly, drug courts seek to address substance abuse problems in offenders commonly charged with possession and other drug- related offenses. SUBJECT: Alternatives to Incarceration. Examples of states with settlement programs are California. ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATION: WHY IS CALIFORNIA LAGGING. An evaluation of Ohio’s Reasoned and Equitable Community and Local Alternatives to the Incarceration of. In exchange for a guilty plea, the offenders enter treatment instead of prison. If they successfully complete treatment, authorities may remove the offense from their record, depending on the plea agreement. The model has proven so successful that, since the nation's first drug court was established in 1. Miami, 9. 46 drug courts have been implemented, and another 4. Office of Justice Programs. Alternatives to the Secure Detention and Confinement of Juvenile Offenders James Austin, Kelly Dedel Johnson, and Ronald Weitzer. Incarceration Alternatives In Vista. California alternatives to incarceration. National Association of Drug Court Professionals. In 1. 99. 7, Broward County, Fla., translated the drug court model to cases involving people with mental illnesses and created the nation's first mental health court. While mental health courts don't equal drug courts in numbers, recent funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Department of Justice may jump- start their spread. A solution that works. The growth in alternative courts has been spurred by research that has proved such courts' effectiveness. In fact, a 2. 00. California law that requires judges to offer nonviolent offenders substance abuse or mental health treatment instead of prison time is saving the state up to $1. Judicial Council of California's Advisory Committee on Collaborative Justice. Moreover, California's program reduced recidivism: Arrest rates for participants who completed the program declined by 8. And considering that 1. That makes them an attractive option for states with strapped budgets looking to reduce prison costs. For example, 7. 0 percent of California's drug court participants were employed upon completion of the program, a striking change from the fewer than 4. With fewer and fewer inpatient and outpatient services available for the mentally ill, she says, many people with mental health problems end up in jail for offenses, such as shoplifting, that stem from their illnesses. But since many prisons aren't equipped to provide treatment or design release plans for people with mental health and substance abuse problems, the offenders are released only to be picked up again for another violation. Indeed, 7. 5 percent of mentally ill inmates have been sentenced to time in prison or jail or to probation before their current sentences, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Chasing funding. Facts like those, coupled with the courts' documented successes, have prompted growing federal support for drug and mental health courts. In a push for more treatment, he teamed with then Rep. Mike Dewine (R- Ohio), who is now a senator, Sen. Pete Domenici (R- N. M.) and the late Sen. Paul Wellstone to pass a law authorizing federal funding for the creation of mental health courts in 2. They garnered an additional $3 million in 2. And Strickland and De. Wine are continuing the legislative push for prison alternatives (see box, previous page). This spring, the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance began doling out that money to 2. Among the grant recipients is the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, headed up by psychologist Terry L. The department funneled the money to the Oklahoma County mental health court in which King works. The court was established when its judge, Nancy Coats, donated $2. July. Since its start on Nov. The court only accepts offenders with serious mental illness, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, who have committed a misdemeanor or nonviolent felony. Psychologists also screen out applicants whose illness makes them unlikely to complete the treatment. After the district attorney determines their records are free of violence, King determines whether candidates are competent to stand trial and then psychologist Gail Poyner, Ph. D, screens them with personality inventories, an hour interview and a review of police reports and prior treatment information. The treatment usually lasts 1. King and most of the court team donate their time or are on loan from their employers, such as the district attorney and public defender's office, Department of Corrections and Oklahoma Mental Health Consumer Council. The new funding, $1. The group therapy, designed by Poyner and King, will address the offenders' involvement with the legal system and the thinking errors that led to committing a crime to better prepare them when they leave the program..
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2016
Categories |