New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has begun an initiative focused on treatment programs for the mentally ill, rather than incarceration.
One-third of the city’s jail population is comprised of mentally ill offenders who serve almost twice the amount of time as offenders without a mental illness, city officials report.
Longer incarcerations result from the mentally ill having fewer resources for posting bail. They often lack personal finances, or family members or friends willing to post their bail.
Mayor Bloomberg’s plan creates centralized teams to compile an offender’s mental health history. Such teams can provide risk assessments to judges more quickly to help them make informed decisions regarding bail availability, placement in community-based treatment programs, or other possible choices that might be considered.
The teams can also keep the courts appraised of a defendant’s progress.
The initiative is an improvement but not a total solution. There is still the problem of ensuring the mentally ill receive appropriate drug treatments and other disability benefits to reduce the chance that behavior causes them to be re-incarcerated.
City officials say they hope the program will take care of mentally ill people who commit minor offenses and pose no threat to public safety by sending them directly to treatment programs, rather than jail or prison.
