Courts that show rehabilitation can work

We all come into this world the same way. Crying.

And for most of us, as we settle into the pleasant if not predictable pattern of life, there are more smiles than tears.

But for some, the crying never stops. Not only the outward tears of anguish, but the sobbing in the soul, the pulsating grief deep inside that never seems to cease.

That is how to best describe those who have a mental illness.

Many fight it and win. There are wonderful advances in medication that, coupled with therapy and support of family members, restores the joy of living.

But others find it hard to scale the high walls in the abyss of anxiety and depression, a place of hopelessness and hallucinations.

Sometimes they wind up in trouble with the law and are put in jail. For example, about 7.4 percent of the men and 12.2 percent of the women in Cook County jail are mentally ill. But they don't get well in a cell. What incarcerated mentally ill people who are not a threat to society need is treatment, not confinement.

That philosophy is driving a welcome innovation in the criminal justice system -- mental-health courts. As reported by the Daily Herald's Charles Keeshan in a Thursday story, these courts, which have been implemented in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties, link nonviolent mentally ill offenders to treatment and counseling instead of putting them behind bars. The theory is that such assistance will work to not only steer them away from crime, but improve their very lives.

Some might wonder if this is another example of putting undeserved pity ahead of rightful punishment.

These courts are in their infancy, and so is the research into their effectiveness. But studies that have been done show participants in mental-health courts were less likely to commit a crime again.

And note that not one of the 16 people who participated in McHenry County's mental-health court have so far been arrested since joining the program, which, like other courts, puts firm treatment compliance conditions on participants.

Early on, a Cook County mental-health court program found jail days among participants were reduced by 82.5 percent over two years. DuPage County has also seen a drop in repeat crimes by mentally ill offenders since starting its mental-health court.

Taxpayers should take note, too. Every time a mental-health court succeeds in keeping someone out of jail, the savings are tremendous. In Illinois, it costs $22,627 to incarcerate a person. And when a jails get full, it costs $55,826 per bed to build a new one.

Care should be taken to assure mental-health courts get long-term financial support. But demands for putting every offender in jail can lead to disorder in law and order when the court dockets and jails can't keep up with such demands. Alternatives to sentencing, such as the innovative mental health courts, offer real hope to taxpayers, the overtaxed criminal justice system -- and to troubled individuals -- that rehabilitation can work.