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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?
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*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<X) of them are in
sential services-including public the w orkforce, and 23 percent covery has been mishandled. But the mayor and the business com
munity to change course.
transportation, schools and hos are unemployed. Apartment rents why has it been m ishandled?
Marc H. Moriai is president of
It started when some people
are 39 percent higher than before
pitals- haven't fully recovered.
the
National Urban League.
In the first six months after the the storm, and the num ber of saw the hurricane as an opportu
Some plans to
remake city are
immoral
storm hit. N ew O rlean s lost
nearly 280,000 residents - 64
percent o f its population, accord
ing to a recent report by the
National Urban League's
Legislative Policy Insti
tute. The African Ameri-
households in trailers hit 114,000.
28 percent more than six months
ago, the report found.
A full year later, public ser
vices and infrastructure are still
substandard: Less than half the
bus and streetcar routes are op-
There's no doubt that this
recovery has been
mishandled. But why has it
been mishandled?
Drug Courts Impose Solutions for Addiction
Clackamas County Adult Drug
Practice has shown that putting drug court.
Drug court is not an easy out. At court has seen six women give birth
people behind bars doesn't affect
their drug use. For many the Clackamas County Drug Court, Io drug-free babies, saving taxpay
by J i im ; e R obert S ei . ander
offenders jail is a social we require offenders to appear on ers an estim ated $1.5 million.
When I was Curry County
club where old friends time every week, go into treatment, Sheriffs deputies who provide se
Deputy District Attorney in
Judge Greg Mathis is na
meet. Released addicts submit to random drug testing, curity in my courtroom initially come
the early 1970s, I sought long
tional vice president o f Rain-
simply go back to their bring pay stubs to prove they're with an attitude that drug court is a
penitentiary sentences for
how PUSH and a national hoard
other friends, old neigh working, attend at least three 12- liberal do-gooder idea. They ob
most drug offenders. I be
member o f the Southern Chris
borhoods and addictions. step meetings a week, not associ serve me exchange hugs with suc
lieved prison was the ultimate
tian Leadership Conference.
What works for many offenders is ate with users and get a GEDor high cessful participants or host an ice
sanction. I was wrong.
school diploma. Failure to follow cream party if everyone remains
any program rule will result in a clean and sober three weeks in a
sanction ranging from writing an row. But after w itnessing the
change in people's lives, these of
essay to going to jail.
One woman in my court had suc- ficers change their minds. They sec
that offenders in drug court may
risk more sanctions and spend more
time in jail than if they were sen
tenced or on probation.
The best evidence that drug
THE BO TTO M LESS
courts work is in the lives that are
changed. One participant with mul
tiple felony convictions, while par
ticipating indrugcourt, was working
cesstully secured a job, regained a fast-fixxl job when her boss handed
custody of her kids and had met her the keys one evening and asked
every other requirement -- but she her to lock up after closing.
T h in k y o u ’re a c o n n o is s e u r o f s n a p , g r a h a m , s a n d w ic h ,
"She knew my background," she
believed she wasn't capable of pass
w a fe r , c h o c o la t e c o v e r e d a n d lo w fa t c o o k i e s ? T h in k
ing the GED tests. When I told her told me, "and yet she gave me the
time was running out, she finally key and promoted me to manager."
a g a in . T h e r e ’s a lo t to le a rn a b o u t th e w o r ld o f c o o k ie s
took the tests - and passed. Now, as This drug court graduate has now
a n d t h e r e 's n o b e t t e r p la c e to c o m e f o r a n e d u c a t io n
a confident drug court graduate, she started a business, enrolled in col
t h a n o u r c o o k ie ta s tin g th is w e e k e n d . W e ll b e o p e n in g
is enrolling in college. Her story is lege and was recently married.
a b o u t 1 OO v a r ie t ie s f o r y o u to s a m p le . T h is w e e k e n d
With adequate treatment capac
anecdotal evidence of what the state
ity
and court staff, the Oregon drug
Department of Human Services, fol
w e 'll a ls o b e s h o w c a s in g s o m e o f th e m o s t c e le b r a t e d
courts
could accommodate many
lowing legislative direction to invest
c o f f e e r o a s te r s . J o in u s S a t u r d a y a n d S u n d a y . 1 1 a m
more
offenders
and provide even
more money in proven practices, has
u n til 5 p m .
more
benefit
to
society.
Drug court
just accepted as research-supported
fact: Drug courts are effective in is a cost-efficient, crime reducing,
helping many non-violent offenders life-changing program that works.
Judge Robert Selander is a
quit
using drugs, stop committing
A SY
& FU N
TO S H O P
• LO C A LLY
O W N ED
& O P E R A T E D
Clackamas County C ircuit
crimes, get jobs and pay taxes.
A R B O R L O D G E N I n t e r s t a t e A v e & P o r t l a n d B lv d P o r t l a n d O R 9 7 2 1 7 5 0 3 4 6 7 4 7 7 7
Drug courts save money by re Judge and president o f the Or
ducing
not only crime, but also the egon Association of Drug Court
C O N C O R D IA
N E 3 3 r d & K illin g s w o r t h P o r tla n d O R 9 7 2 1 1 5 0 3 .2 8 8 3 8 3 8
need
for
social services. The Professionals.
a n d s ix o t h e r P o r t l a n d a r e a l o c a t i o n s V is i t u s o n l i n e a t w w w n e w s e a s 0 n 9 m a r k e t . c o m
Breaking the cycle
SEASONS
M A R K E T
CmkiAfar
E
For many
offenders jail is a
social club where
old friends meet.
I