By Joelyn Hansen
The Idaho Falls Post Register
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Thomas Martinez was heavily into drugs and quickly evolving into a career criminal as he sought to feed his addiction.
Martinez’s family relationships became strained. He left home for days at a time, running the streets looking for his next high or something to steal to pay for that high. The situation was made worse by his bipolar disorder, which had gone untreated.
“I honestly believed I was a bad person,” Martinez said. “I liked doing drugs, running the streets, lying, stealing.”
Then in July 2009, Martinez’s life took a turn for the better, though he may not have realized it at the time, when the 7th Judicial District sent him to the Bonneville County Mental Health Court - investing an estimated $7,000 in his rehabilitation.
Still, that’s a much cheaper alternative than the estimated $21,000 it would have cost taxpayers to incarcerate Martinez for a year, said Eric Olson, program coordinator. Also, Olson said, prison time offered little hope that Martinez would be able to change his ways.
At first, Martinez said, he was a reluctant Mental Health Court participant. Gradually, however, his attitude changed as he underwent treatment for his drug addiction, criminal behavior and bipolar disorder.
Martinez graduated from the program in August. He since has reconnected with his family and looks to further his education.
"(The program) taught me a lot of honesty,” he said, “and how to be true to myself.”
The 7th District Mental Health Courts, established as the first in Idaho in 2002, are specifically designed to work with individuals like Martinez. Today, Olson said, about 45 people are participating in the three courts in Bonneville, Bingham and Madison counties.
The program is geared toward individuals with bipolar disorder and/or schizophrenia, who also have lengthy and serious criminal histories. Oftentimes, these individuals also are dealing with alcohol and/or drug addictions.
In the future, Olson said, the program will be expanded to incorporate people with other types of mental health disorders.
“We see the system, in general, much more aware and confident in identifying people with mental health problems,” he said.
Lisa Cornelison, who also suffers from bipolar disorder, became involved in Mental Health Court in February.
She was charged with misdemeanor “frequenting a place where drugs are used” and providing false information to a law enforcement officer.
Already, she said, her life is much better than it was before she entered the program.
Cornelison said she struggled with her manic behavior, often complicating it with drug and alcohol abuse. She said she tried to clean up on her own, and had spurts where she’d stay sober. Ultimately, however, Cornelison would relapse.
“I stayed clean and sober for other people for a long time,” she said. “But I was emotionally unsettled for a long time.”
Mental Health Court has helped Cornelison come to terms with her bipolar disorder and, according to Cornelison, has provided her with a strategy and the support she needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
In January, Cornelison said, she’s planning to begin classes at Idaho State University. She hopes to become a drug and alcohol counselor.
Janneil Eggleston, an assertive community treatment provider, said participants undergo extensive and intensive treatment, which includes case management, medication, group therapy and individual psychotherapy. Participants also receive help with finding a job, child care and transportation services.
Eggleston said the program functions like a state hospital, only without the walls.
Despite its success stories, keeping the program afloat has not been easy.
Cutbacks by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare affected the program, Eggleston said, but not in a major way. The cuts caused a reduction in staff, which stretched resources.
Tom Shanahan, a Health and Welfare spokesman, said the department eliminated five positions and permanently left three positions unfilled in the region. Employees also were required to take 108 furlough hours each in the 2010 fiscal year.
Despite such challenges, Olson said the program remains successful. Since its inception eight years ago, more than 50 people have graduated. As a result, those individuals have spent less time in hospitals and prisons.
After the program’s first two years, Olson said, participant hospitalization was down 98 percent and incarceration was down 90 percent. Most importantly, he said, it’s helped people take back their lives.
“People really do well with the program,” Eggleston said. “They take it and run with it.”
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