WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Mental health care or mental jail care?

Mental illness can be a scary thing. And it can strike any family.

But mental illnesses, like schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder, are biological conditions like heart disease or cancer. And they should be treated in a medical setting.

The sad truth is most people with these debilitating mental illnesses aren’t being treated in hospitals or psychiatric clinics, but in our prisons.

In a report published April 8th, the Treatment Advocacy Center notes that jails and prisons house 356,268 inmates with severe mental illness. This is more than 10 times the amount in state hospitals.

The report says treatment in correctional settings is “abominable.” It also states that mentally ill inmates are more likely to become victims of sexual assault and abuse, and they are overrepresented in solitary confinement.

It also costs a fortune. In 2009 Washington paid $100,000 per year to confine seriously mentally ill inmates compared with $30,000 for other inmates.

During the last session, the Legislature took a serious first step toward alleviating this urgent issue. This year, the supplemental budget made a $32 million investment in our mental health care system – helping to give communities the tools they need to treat the mentally ill. While it is a modest investment, it is a start towards alleviating an issue that will only getting worse if left unaddressed.