Monday, June 21, 2004

Our Views: Mental health courts work (Washington)
Editorial in The Olympian - "One of the contentious issues in the campaign to build a new county jail has been the question of the treatment of the mentally ill. Across the country, 40 mental health hospitals have closed in the past decade, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. During that same 10-year period, 400 new prisons have opened, and national studies show that an increasing number of mentally ill people end up behind bars. The question is how those mentally ill people should best be treated. A study on the Clark County Mental Health Court in Vancouver, Wash., points the way toward a successful approach to managing the growing mental health issues facing our community. Thurston County officials need to embrace the study findings and continue their quest to start a local mental health court. If Thurston County can duplicate Clark County's success, the mentally ill will get the treatment they deserve, the jail will be less crowded and taxpayers will save money."