FRAMINGHAM -- People with mental illness are being re-institutionalized, ending up in jail instead of treatment. Local agencies are working to change the trend.

Yesterday, Advocates Inc. received a $75,000 grant from the MetroWest Health Community Health Care Foundation to ensure people with mental illness don't wind up in the criminal justice system instead of the health care system.

"What we really need is a mental health treatment system, not a jail cell," said William Taylor, president of Advocates in Framingham.

Taylor's agency and the Framingham Police Department will train staff in both mental health and public safety issues as part of the "Jail Diversion" program.

Although Advocates has a 30-member psychiatric emergency team trained in crisis intervention, there is minimal coordination with police who are not trained to recognize the signs of mental illness or make referrals.

"The criminal justice system and the mental health system are two different worlds," Taylor said. "That's the problem. There's no system in place to offer treatment instead of jail."

Framingham is among a small number of communities across the country that have implemented a similar program. A bill filed by state Sen. Cynthia Stone Creem, D-Newton, is pending that would mandate educational training for all law enforcement officials in the state who deal with mentally ill people.

Police officers responding to calls involving the mentally ill may not recognize the signs of illness. The presence of police may even make the situation worse or escalate the situation by agitating the person.

Framingham Police Chief Steven Carl said he believes the program will help prevent those with mental illness from entering the criminal justice system, which offers them no help.

"We aren't clinicians," he said. "We can't evaluate them. We don't have the ability to help someone with an alcohol problem or drug problem. A cell is not an appropriate place for a homeless person."

The cycle of arrest and incarceration has existed for some time, said Taylor, but was dealt with on an individual basis as issues arose.

"There hasn't been a real opportunity to intervene," Taylor said. "Hopefully individuals will be able to get the help they need."

The Jail Diversion program is aimed at breaking the cycle by training dispatchers, supervisors and officers to recognize mental illness.

The Department of Justice estimates that of the 10 million arrests nationwide each year 700,000 are people with mental illness. On any given day 283,000 people are in jail compared to 70,000 in psychiatric hospitals.

In 2001, the Framingham Police Department made 1,850 arrests.

Based on national figures, Taylor said about 15 to 20 percent, or 278 to 370 of those arrests, involved someone with mental illness. Three-quarters, or 209 to 277, of the same individuals also have substance abuse problems.

		Advocating justice for the mentally ill *By Michelle Hillman* Saturday, December 21, 2002
		FRAMINGHAM -- People with mental illness are being re-institutionalized, ending up in jail instead of treatment. Local agencies are working to change the trend. Yesterday, Advocates Inc. received a $75,000 grant from the MetroWest Health Community Health Care Foundation to ensure people with mental illness don't wind up in the criminal justice system instead of the health care system. "What we really need is a mental health treatment system, not a jail cell," said William Taylor, president of Advocates in Framingham. Taylor's agency and the Framingham Police Department will train staff in both mental health and public safety issues as part of the "Jail Diversion" program. Although Advocates has a 30-member psychiatric emergency team trained in crisis intervention, there is minimal coordination with police who are not trained to recognize the signs of mental illness or make referrals. "The criminal justice system and the mental health system are two different worlds," Taylor said. "That's the problem. There's no system in place to offer treatment instead of jail." Framingham is among a small number of communities across the country that have implemented a similar program. A bill filed by state Sen. Cynthia Stone Creem, D-Newton, is pending that would mandate educational training for all law enforcement officials in the state who deal with mentally ill people. Police officers responding to calls involving the mentally ill may not recognize the signs of illness. The presence of police may even make the situation worse or escalate the situation by agitating the person. Framingham Police Chief Steven Carl said he believes the program will help prevent those with mental illness from entering the criminal justice system, which offers them no help. "We aren't clinicians," he said. "We can't evaluate them. We don't have the ability to help someone with an alcohol problem or drug problem. A cell is not an appropriate place for a homeless person." The cycle of arrest and incarceration has existed for some time, said Taylor, but was dealt with on an individual basis as issues arose. "There hasn't been a real opportunity to intervene," Taylor said. "Hopefully individuals will be able to get the help they need." The Jail Diversion program is aimed at breaking the cycle by training dispatchers, supervisors and officers to recognize mental illness. The Department of Justice estimates that of the 10 million arrests nationwide each year 700,000 are people with mental illness. On any given day 283,000 people are in jail compared to 70,000 in psychiatric hospitals. In 2001, the Framingham Police Department made 1,850 arrests. Based on national figures, Taylor said about 15 to 20 percent, or 278 to 370 of those arrests, involved someone with mental illness. Three-quarters, or 209 to 277, of the same individuals also have substance abuse problems.		While the first priority remains public safety, Taylor said there are instances where a non-violent person could be referred to treatment instead of a jail cell. Taylor commended the police department's willingness to invest time, money and staffing to train the entire department and work with other community agencies to solve the problem. Currently, police officers receive little to no training on dealing with the mentally ill, said Taylor. In Massachusetts, police recruits receive four hours of training at the academy. Taylor said by joining forces, law enforcement and the mental health system will be better equipped to recognize and treat the mentally ill. "Neither the law enforcement side or the mental health side gets to see the whole person," Taylor said. "This will help the system deal with the whole person." The Jail Diversion program is based on a nationally recognized model first instituted in 1994 in Memphis, Tenn., which created a crisis intervention team of officers specially trained to respond to mentally ill people in crisis. In addition to the $75,000 from the MetroWest Foundation, Advocates also received $15,000 from the Poitras Foundation and is awaiting $74,900 in grants from other agencies. The total cost of the program is $258,514. The police department is contributing $66,692 out of its budget for manpower and services. Advocates is using $27,413 out of its budget to provide staff at the department. Martin Cohen, president of the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation said he was impressed with the level of collaboration involved in the grant. "I think there is clear recognition that there are a lot of folks who have mental illness and substance abuse as opposed to ending up in treatment end up in jail," he said. Funding will pay for two police liaison clinical responders who will spend 20 hours a week at the Framingham Police Station. Wayside Youth and Family Network will provide a responder for situations involving children. The South Middlesex Opportunity Council will provide a liaison for situations involving the homeless. All first-responding officers will be trained for four hours a year in basic crisis intervention techniques. Members of the Advocates psychiatric emergency team will attend an eight-hour training program to learn how to assist police. Dispatchers will learn to recognize signs of mental illness. In the future, Taylor hopes to involve the court system in the program, but more funding would be needed. The jail diversion program will focus on individuals before an arrest is made. Taylor said it's hard to know how often people are arrested or jailed instead of referred for treatment. One of the goals of the program is to track the number of people treated instead of arrested. "We're going to learn more about these people as we go through this," he said. "We know there's people with mental illness in jail right now." Copyright by the MetroWest Daily News and Herald Interactive Advertising Systems, Inc. No portion of MetroWestdailyNews.com or its content may be reproduced without the owner's written permission.

		© 2004 Advocates Inc. / Framingham Police Department