By Edith Brady-Lunny
The Pantagraph
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — McLean County, like most communities, struggles with the challenge of helping mentally ill residents.
The closure of several state mental hospitals has contributed to the number of people who end up in courtrooms, said McLean County State’s Attorney Bill Yoder.
“The state dumped them on the streets and they are ending up on our streets,” said Yoder.
Yoder said the concept of a mental health court - which diverts qualifying offenders into treatment programs instead of jails - may have value, but implementing the plan will take money and staff.
Yoder said his office works with jail staff and public defenders to determine if a defendant has mental health issues.
“In the history of the United States, there has never been an adequate solution for mentally ill persons. If we solve it here, we will be the first,” said Yoder.
More than half the inmates in U.S. prisons have mental health problems, according to a 2006 study by the U.S. Department of Justice.
McLean County Assistant Public Defender Brian McEldowney said mental health issues affect 5 percent to 10 percent of prosecutions.
Defendants may be examined to determine if they understand charges against them and are responsible for their actions, he said. In some cases, a defendant receives treatment and returns to court.
Imprisonment after treatment does not address the person’s long-term mental health issues, said McEldowney.
“Retribution and psychiatric rehabilitation would seem to be mutually incompatible objectives,” said McEldowney.
Illinois prisons house about 6,800 inmates who require treatment for mental illness. About 15 percent of the state’s 45,470 inmates receive care for a mental disorder, according to the state Department of Corrections.
“They need specialized care more than the general population offender,” said IDOC spokesman Derek Schnapp.
The state has units in Dixon and Pontiac for inmates whose mental illnesses make them unsuitable for the prison’s general population. Dixon’s psychiatric unit is the state’s primary psychiatric correctional facility and currently houses 174 inmates.
The treatment unit at Dixon Correctional Center houses 350 mentally ill and developmentally disabled inmates.
The south mental health unit at Pontiac Correctional Center provides services to chronically mentally ill inmates, including those with schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.
Other inmates with mental illness receive medication and counseling but live among the general population, said Schnapp.
“Everything is assessed on a case-by-case basis” when it comes to assigning prisoners to facilities, he said.
The state hopes to expand space to 1,300 beds for defendants with alcohol and substance abuse issues. A waiting list exists for the 950 beds at the Sheridan Correctional Center drug substance abuse unit.
A dual diagnosis of mental illness and substance abuse or drug addiction is common. Dixon’s special unit has space for 68 inmates who are nearing the end of their sentence and need help with a dual diagnosis.
Copyright 2008 The Pantagraph