I posted my story to put a personal face on this issue. I know it is not just my own story but that of many mothers…

I came across a quote from the Talmud recently: “The virtue of angels is that they cannot deteriorate; their flaw is that they cannot improve. The flaw of humans is that they can deteriorate; and their virtue is that they can improve.”

Thanking heavens that we humans can and do improve…and that complete healing is possible in this flawed and rocky world.

linmacha

As a therapist I knew what I was witnessing, and I was totally alone in dealing with it. Eventually when his illness began to be inflicted on me and I questioned that I could continue on with my own life I had to kick him out of the house. Then he broke windows to come back inside. I called for help, and instead of being hospitalized he was arrested. He spent months in jail, frankly psychotic, without medication. His father, who worked in another city in a jail… Was able to advocate for him to receive needed medications and eventually he was released. But he then had a criminal record.

How many people’s children did I help into the hospital in my career as a mental health therapist?

Why was my son made into a criminal when he could have been given humane medical care, medication, and his psychosis brought under control within weeks? I advocated for him to be a part of the mental health court, and my son was “assessed” and they labelled him as sociopathic. I am certain he was psychotic when he was assessed, rendering their judgement subject to much question. He told me later that he did not bathe more than twice during the time he was incarcerated.

Conveniently enough, the mental health courts in my community do not accept people whom they assess as sociopathic. He has never been in trouble with the law whatsoever other than when his illness caused me to draw a boundary for self-preservation. He is a gifted musician and has been able to reconnect with many friends who love him and who knew him before his illness, and at his worst.

The response of the community to the person who is affected has wide and far-reaching ripple effects which include the family members. I am happy to say that today life is improving and better (largely due to relatively open and free access to very expensive medications through the community mental health system) but the painful mantle of being labelled criminal and locked away is still with my son.

I remember as a young girl reading the biography of Dorothea Dix and how she championed the cause of the mentally ill of her era who were chained and locked away and treated as less than human. Her humanity inspired me to help others… And of course to help myself.

The county jail here dispenses more psychotropic meds than any other organization in this state. Have we progressed at all?

linmacha

Jilly D: I’ll go look. Thank you.

She begins at about 1 hour 5 minutes into the video. CSPAN expires their videos – so it might go away.

I wholeheartedly agree with your conclusion that the implementation of mental health courts can provide a merciful result for both the defendant, and the public, at the same time. Court systems which operate in substantially the same way in which they operated 50 years ago – and surely this is the case in countless jurisdictions – quite likely fail to make meaningful use of the vast array of diagnostic and treatment opportunities which may have been unheard of when the laws those courts are upholding, and the procedures being to uphold the laws, were authored. As such, court personnel have to think, and act, outside of the box in order for certain cases to receive the appropriate care, and style, of attention.

While I thoroughly agree with you regarding the formation of such courts, I also advocate a median position which would still represent a meaningful step forward in the march to mental health courts. And that would be to insure greater training of the judiciary, and court personnel, including lawyers, on mental health issues.

Judges who have never been trained on issues relating to mental health, other than to perhaps ask a few questions of an allegedly unfit defendant who stands before the court unable to prove even that they are alert and oriented, do a disservice to their judicial colleagues, and to society as a whole, by not recognizing the mentally ill defendant, and making that recognition part of their decision making process when it comes to questions of bail, scheduling, and the resolution of cases.

So were I to have a say in this matter, I’d say YES, mental health courts would be a true benefit to the entirety of society.. But absent that giant step (keeping in mind the typical resistance to change which can be seen in countless governmental bureaucracies) , the smaller step of training, and creating greater awareness of mental health issues in the entirety of the criminal justice system, is an idea for which the time has come.

Regards,
Stolios

Yet, when I was present in one of the Western state’s legislature’s debates back in the 1980s about this very matter, I saw that many who are ‘making the laws’ with regard to mental health, have never been on the streets, not even as ‘a tourist’ …the lawmakers have no idea what consequence they wroth. Again, it would have helped so much to have had law wrought by people of insight into this issue, and common sense… not just lobbyist hearsay/ lures.

And you’re right about some not wanting to foot the bill for mental health care; but all taxpayers wind up paying the enormous bill for insurance claims re damages and physical harms, hospital ERs, incarcerations, judges, court staff and police cover; these installations to deal with the issues cost huge dollar amounts.

I’m thinking this morning too of the poor radio commentator who was assaulted badly in Manhattan yesterday, and wondering if that’s another case of assault by an ill person on a mental tear who just lashed out without reason. In that case this morning, there is much speculation, and we’re still watching the newswires for more facts. It may or may not be a case in point. Regardless, that public situation bears watching, I think… even though there are many other assaults in the big apple in the last day that will not reach the level of ‘news’ this one has.
dr.e

The underlying rationale is actually fairly convincing: if you’re responsible enough to be on your own, you’re responsible enough to take the consequences for transgressions. The problems you quite correctly point to appear when we extend the notion of “responsible enough to be on your own” too far.