Framingham Jail Diversion Program

MISPLACED PRISONERS
The Boston Globe
11/10/2003

Several hundred thousand inmates in America's prisons -- as many as one in six -- are mentally ill, according to a report by Human Rights Watch. Most dwell in a netherworld of grossly inadequate care. Here is one story from the report, about R.P., a mentally ill inmate in a New York State prison:
In 1998, R.P. was convicted of assault and attempted sale of a controlled substance. He has taken multiple prescription drugs to manage psychosis. In prison he has had violent outbursts and been cited for creating disturbances and "unhygienic acts." A scar on his stomach shows where he tried to cut himself open.
Since May 1999 R.P. has been in a secure unit with no access to intensive therapy. He is occasionally released for involuntary medication: shots of Haldol. He is due to be released in September 2004.
There are effective treatments for psychiatric illness, but the American Psychiatric Association says that "access to that care is fragmented, discontinuous, sporadic, and often totally unavailable," noting that serious persistent mental illness among the homeless and incarcerated has reached "epidemic proportions."
It will take a huge effort to overhaul the nation's mental health system so it can serve and protect anyone with a mental illness in or out of prison.
Until that revolution comes, it is vital to celebrate small victories and try to duplicate them. Recently, Governor Romney commended the work of the Framingham Jail Diversion Program, a new initiative that unites police and mental health crisis workers. Their goal is prevention: steering mentally ill offenders away from jail and toward supportive services.

The Framingham cop/clinician teams have been involved in 237 incidents and avoided 47 arrests in the past six months. Instead of jail, the majority of these offenders go to a locked inpatient hospital unit. Others are referred to community treatment programs or to their own homes, or to foster care in the case of minors.
The program's benefits: People get fitting care, and the police get much-needed help.
The program is an affordable $150,000 a year. Romney and the legislature should expand the effort. This will take hard work. Framingham's program is supported entirely by foundation funding. It should have public support, and it should be duplicated in other police departments, with local tailoring to fit each community's needs.
Diversion programs also need alternative placements where people can be sent. Unfortunately, the budget crisis has forced cuts in mental health services.
Government action is essential. It is inhumane and impractical for jails to be the mental health safety net of last resort.
© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company