SACRAMENTO — The Task Force for Criminal Justice Collaboration on Mental Health issues is seeking public comment on a comprehensive set of recommendations to improve outcomes for individuals with mental illness in the criminal justice system.
The draft report with its recommendations is now available for comment on the California Courts at www.courtinfo.ca.gov/invitationstocomment.
The task force will also receive comments at two public hearings in August. The first hearing is scheduled for Aug. 4 in Los Angeles. Another hearing will take place from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 5 in Sacramento at the Secretary of State Building.
The task force was created in 2007 to improve practices and procedures in cases involving adult and juvenile offenders with mental illness, ensure the fair and expeditious administration of justice and promote improved access to treatment for litigants in the criminal justice system. The draft report contains 135 recommendations that address issues and strategies related to prevention, early intervention, diversion, court responses, incarcerations, probation and parole, community reentry, juvenile offenders and education, training and research.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 56 percent of state prisoners and 64 percent of jail inmates nationwide were clinically diagnosed as having a mental disorder, received treatment by a mental health professional or experienced symptoms of a mental disorder in the previous 12 months. A significant portion of this population has a serious mental illness, which is usually defined to include mental disorders that cause the most serious impairment such as schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, other severe forms of depression and some anxiety disorders, it states in the draft document.
Furthermore the document cites that although only 5.7 percent of the general population has a serious mental illness, 14.5 percent of male and 31 percent of female jail inmates have a serious mental illness. Similar to jail populations, approximately 23 percent of California”s prison inmates have a serious mental illness. “It is noted that inmates with serious mental illness often need the most resources and can be the most challenging to serve while incarcerated,” the document states.
According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation”s report, “Corrections Moving Forward,” the average annual cost per California prison inmate in 2008-09 was $48,536. Of this, approximately $16,000 per inmate went toward medical, mental health and dental care. Annual California jail bed costs in 2008-09 ranged from $25,000 to $55,000; however, annual costs for inmates with mental illness are typically higher due to additional costs related to mental health staff, psychiatric medications and other services that are associated with these inmates.
The 35-member task force is chaired by Associate Justice Brad R. Hill of the Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District. Task force members include representatives from all three branches of the government as well as criminal justice and mental health partners. The task force is expected to forward its final report and recommendations to the Judicial Council in Spring 2011.
All comments must be received by 5 p.m. Sept. 17. For additional information or to register to make a public comment at one the hearings, please contact Karen Moen, senior court services analyst at mentalhealthtaskforce@jud.ca.gov.
Contact South County reporter Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
