Leaders in Mobile, public and private, are studying alternatives to incarceration to better deal with vulnerable populations such as those experiencing a mental health crisis.
A city that has made strides in handling and assisting its citizens with crises in mental health and drug addiction is Miami, Fla. The city and Dade County put on a conference called “Decriminalizing Mental Health: The Miami Model.”
The Florida city and county have been recognized nationally for their successful efforts to keep the mentally ill out of local jails and in treatment.
Mobile leaders in public safety, community affairs and Municipal Court went to Miami with other community partners who regularly serve residents with mental health and substance abuse issues. AltaPointe Health, the local court system, and the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office all attended the conference.
Mobile Mayor Sandys Stimpson said, “Rising to meet challenges like these requires a team effort, and the collaboration we’re seeing from local partners is unprecedented and inspiring. I also want to thank the City of Miami for hosting such a productive event and leading on this issue impacting communities across the country.”
Jail for a person with serious mental health issues who runs afoul of the law? Or treatment that does not involve jail?
While it would usually be better for the individual having the problem to avoid jail and better for their family, there are other reasons to look at decriminalizing legal violations by mental patients.
Jails and prisons are overcrowded in Alabama. There are a substantial number of inmates who are there, in whole or in part, for mental health reasons. Jails would not be as crowded and would not cost taxpayers so much if more alternatives and treatment short of jail were developed.
Of course, some progress has already been made in Alabama with drug courts, veterans’ courts, and various forms of diversion.
How likely is a mental health patient to get adequate treatment in a jail or prison? There is sometimes some treatment available, but programs outside of incarceration are more likely to be effective and better monitored.
A study titled “Jail Diversion: the Miami Model” — sanctioned in 2019 by Florida’s Eleventh Circuit Criminal Mental Health Project — details the scope of the problem.
Every day, in every community in the United States, law enforcement agencies, courts, and correctional institutions witness a parade of misery brought on by untreated or under-treated mental illnesses. According to the most recent prevalence estimates, roughly 16.9% of jail detainees (14.5% of men and 31.0% of women) experience serious mental illnesses (SMI).1 Considering that in 2018 law enforcement nationwide made an estimated 10.3 million arrests, this suggests that more than 1.7 million involved people with SMIs. It is estimated that three-quarters of these individuals also experience co-occurring substance abuse, which increases the likelihood of becoming involved in the justice system.
Each day approximately 380,000 people with mental illnesses are incarcerated in jails and prisons across the United States. Considering that as of 2016 there were only about 20,000 beds in civil state psychiatric hospitals, this means that there are 19 times as many people with mental illnesses in correctional facilities as there are in all civil state treatment facilities combined.
On average, people with mental illnesses remain incarcerated eight times longer than people without mental illnesses arrested for the same charge, at a cost seven times higher.
With little treatment available, many individuals cycle through the system for the majority of their adult lives.
The complete report on the Miami Model is here.
Maybe the "Miami Model" could be Alabamaized and adapted here to better serve mental patients, public safety and the taxpaying public.
The Alabama Model.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler writes about Alabama’s people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
