Cook County sheriff: Mental health treatment important in justice system
With state and federal mental illness funding being slashed, it's important for local leaders to work together to ensure nonviolent offenders have treatment options instead of a one-size-fits all prison sentence, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.
"They're being pushed out to the margins. What are the margins? Jails and prisons," Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said. "We have to have a sense of urgency here. These people don't belong in the criminal justice system under anyone's analysis."
Dart, who has received national recognition for prioritizing mental health services at the Cook County jail, was one of several speakers at the Kane County Bar Association's continuing education program, "Mental Illness and Its Path Through the Criminal Justice System: Challenges and Solutions."
Kane County Sheriff Donald Kramer said each new inmate at the Kane County jail receives a mental health screening before being placed in a cell block. About 23 percent to 25 percent of inmates are on psychotropic drugs, and jail officials work to find a cell block and population that will minimize or eliminate potential conflict with other inmates.
The jail has 640 beds, but Kramer said its real capacity is about 550 people so staff members can move inmates to increase safety and decrease tension.
Kramer said his office has sought grants to improve mental health treatment for inmates, and he credited State's Attorney Joe McMahon for providing funding for officers to undergo Crisis Intervention Training to de-escalate situations.
"Not every person is the same," Kramer said. "We do a darn good job, as far as I'm concerned, in the mental health field."
Kane County Judge Clint Hull, a former prosecutor who presides over the county's Treatment Alternative Court, a two-year program for felony offenders, said his view of his role in the justice system evolved over the years.
As a prosecutor, Hull said, he focused on sending defendants to prison to protect society. As a judge, he said, he began to look at reasons behind a defendant's behavior, especially if it involved mental illness and other causes of recidivism.
Hull said buy-in from prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges is essential for programs such as the Treatment Alternative Court to work. Access and funding for social service agencies that provide follow-up care and treatment are other factors.
"It does not work if we don't have agencies we can link people to," Hull said, noting leaders are putting more resources into preventing people from returning to prison and saving taxpayer dollars. "We're opening our eyes to different ways to approach problems."
Kane County Public Defender Kelli Childress said attorneys must be respectful, polite and patient with their clients to earn trust.
"The biggest problem we have is communicating with clients who suffer from mental illness," she said. "If you're not going to gain their trust by showing them respect, you're just prolonging the process."