illf ^Jorthxnb (©bseruer Page A4 September 20. 2006 Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f The Portland Observer O pinion No Treatment for Mental Illness MIRROR, « MIRROR OH THE. WAW » ViHO's THE MoST STRIOfeKT OFTHEM'AW? rriim jte m irim e d ia erg ? *8 ST System fails to reach people by Ji im . e G reg M athis U ntreated, mood ex ­ trem es such as bipolar disorder can lead to vio­ lent and som etim es crim i­ nal behavior. Knowing this, it’s no surprise that over half of the men and women in A m erica’s jails and prisons are mentally ill. Instead o f necessary treat­ ment, these men and women - most o f them o f color - get jail time. Given the rising prison popu­ lation and the societal costs to imprison men and women, it’s time the justice system treat, not incarcerate mentally ill offend­ ers. These individuals can, with the proper therapy and m edica­ tion, be rehabilitated. The gov­ ernment just has to be willing to make the investment. According to a study released by the U.S. Department o f Jus­ tice, 56-percent of state inmates, 45-percent o f federal prisoners and 64-percent o f those in local jails are mentally ill.lncarcerated su rv e y o f the n a tio n ’s p ris o n s and jails will show that most inmates d o n 't have a high school diplom a. Statistics show mentally ill, wealthy whites are directed to treatm ent cen ­ ters or are incarcerated in fa­ cilities that provide com pre­ hensive therapy when they are arrested. But most other A m eri­ cans are sent to jails where they not only do not receive the mental health counseling they need, their needs are ignored altogether. This lack of treatment makes for a volatile prison situation: Mentally ill prisoners are more likely to get into fights, making jails unsafe environm ents for inmates and staff alike. Providing treatm ent before in c a rc e ra tio n is c ru c ia l to c u rb in g v io le n c e - on our streets and in our ja ils - and for reducing the overall prison kJ Providing treatment before incarceration is crucial to curbing violence - on our streets and in our jails. women tend to have higher rates o f mental illness than men. W hile the diseases and sym p­ tom s are varied - depression, delu sio n s, h allu cin atio n s and mania - one thing is constant: These people are not getting the help they need before they are arrested or when they are im pris­ oned. Drug and alcohol abuse is ram­ pant among the mentally ill, espe­ cially those who have been incar­ cerated. R esearch show s that many people with mental disor­ ders use drugs to self-medicate. to feel "norm al." Untreated, diseases like A tten­ tion Deficit D isorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity D iso rd er (A D H D ) can cause young people to becom e agitated, unfocused and difficult to m an­ age, both at hom e and in the classroom . M any children af­ flicted with A D D or ADHD d on’t ge, the help they need suffer in school and often drop out. A p o p u la tio n . T h is c o u n try ’s system s must w ork together: sc h o o ls m ust m o n ito r s tu ­ dents to detect early signs o f m ental health issues, c o u n ­ seling centers and hospitals must do the sam e. W hen a person is arrested for a nonviolent crim e, a full mental health assessm ent must be made and treatment must be available. Catching and address­ ing these problems in the early stages can help diver, many men and women away from the prison system. The U.S. government has a responsibil­ ity to make sure all o f its citi­ zens, not ju st the privileged class, has access to adequate mental health care. Such an investment saves society in the long run. Speed the Recovery on Gulf Coast nity. They saw it as an opportu­ nity for a 21st Century Urban Rem oval Strategy. They said, "These folks are gone. Let's re­ m ake the city. L et's m ake it smaller. Let's take the coffee out o f this cream. Let's change the by M arc H. M oriai . character o f New Orleans." I would be remiss if The problem was: It was mor­ I said I was satisfied ally wrong. with the recovery from A 16-person commission cre­ Hurricane Katrina be­ ated in Dallas, Texas, began a cause I am most defi­ process that lasted for four months nitely not. I am not to create a plan that would have a lo n e . T h e re are shrunk the city's footprint. And it countless other organizations re­ c a n gave cause and comfort to con­ leasing reports lamenting the state popu­ of the G ulf Coast one year after lation in the city fell from 36 erational, while only 41 percent gressional fiddle-faddling. The o f homes have gas service. Less truth is: the Three Stooges could Katrina ravaged its shores and percent to 21 percent.. than one-third o f public schools have been better organized. That's Roughly 4 1 percent o f Katrina floods devastated neighborhoods. Thousands remain dislocated. evacuees are still displaced - not and half o f the city's major hos­ why the recovery lost track. Even­ tually, a backlash to the notion of Employment is still far below back in their own homes. An pitals are open. shrinking the footprint prompted There's no doubt that this re­ pre-Katrina levels, and many e s­ estim ated 278,0