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I can see this here in middle Tennessee and getting worse.
It's a collision of realities that adds up to worsening trouble for American jails: More inmates than ever have addictions or mental illnesses, while county sheriffs don't have the expertise or the resources to cope.
Ive brought this up before in other threads, why do people automatically think to call 'police' when they see drug use, (like a guy passed out in his car)...they should be contacting CDC or city/county CDC extension offices, they are more equipped to deal with this and trained for it, police can only detain, and arrest, but they really are not trained to effectively deal with these problems, they just end up treating them like criminals.
Ive brought this up before in other threads, why do people automatically think to call 'police' when they see drug use, (like a guy passed out in his car)...they should be contacting CDC or city/county CDC extension offices, they are more equipped to deal with this and trained for it, police can only detain, and arrest, but they really are not trained to effectively deal with these problems, they just end up treating them like criminals.
That's a really good point.
I've known a few cops who put in the time and effort to learn quite a lot about various mental and emotional instabilities, but most cops think they already have enough on their plate. The thing is, the other agencies you speak of don't really have clinicians who would be available to drop everything and rush to a "scene". Most likely, a concerned bystander who called for help would be told to call the cops instead.
I can see this here in middle Tennessee and getting worse.
It's a collision of realities that adds up to worsening trouble for American jails: More inmates than ever have addictions or mental illnesses, while county sheriffs don't have the expertise or the resources to cope.
This is why we should never have gotten rid of institutions for the mentally ill. Instead of them getting the help that they need, they were let loose into the streets where they get hooked on drugs, making their mental state worse, end up homeless, defecate in the streets, and no one sees fit to do a thing about it besides give them more needles to shoot up more drugs.
They need rehabilitation if they can be rehabilitated, or they need to be in an institution where they can get the care that they require. It's disgusting that anyone thought it was a good idea to let them fend for themselves in this society.
THE policy that led to the release of most of the nation's mentally ill patients from the hospital to the community is now widely regarded as a major failure.
Ya think? Here it is, 2019, and we still haven't fixed that issue. We still let them roam around, without care...for what?
Quote:
Dr. Robert H. Felix, who was then director of the National Institute of Mental Health and a major figure in the shift to community centers, says now on reflection: ''Many of those patients who left the state hospitals never should have done so. We psychiatrists saw too much of the old snake pit, saw too many people who shouldn't have been there and we overreacted. The result is not what we intended, and perhaps we didn't ask the questions that should have been asked when developing a new concept, but psychiatrists are human, too, and we tried our damnedest.''
The result is not what they intended. What's that saying? "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Ok, so they realized their mistake...and yet, 35 years later, it's still going on!
Quote:
Dr. John A. Talbott, president of the American Psychiatric Association, said, ''The psychiatrists involved in the policy making at that time certainly oversold community treatment, and our credibility today is probably damaged because of it.'' He said the policies ''were based partly on wishful thinking, partly on the enormousness of the problem and the lack of a silver bullet to resolve it, then as now.''
How many times have we suffered because of some idiot's "wishful thinking"?
Bring back the institutions and stop with the feelings - it doesn't help anyone.
This is why we should never have gotten rid of institutions for the mentally ill. Instead of them getting the help that they need, they were let loose into the streets where they get hooked on drugs, making their mental state worse, end up homeless, defecate in the streets, and no one sees fit to do a thing about it besides give them more needles to shoot up more drugs.
They need rehabilitation if they can be rehabilitated, or they need to be in an institution where they can get the care that they require. It's disgusting that anyone thought it was a good idea to let them fend for themselves in this society.
This is from 1984:
Bring back the institutions and stop with the feelings - it doesn't help anyone.
Reagonomics says to save money. Do the will of the taxpayers - you know, the people who know nothing about the situation!
Jail costs less per year than decent institutional care....out of sight, out of mind.
It's yet another one of those "selfish" issues like regular health care "I'm not crazy (or I have my health care), so I don't want to spend money for YOUR family member".
The only "cure" for this type of stuff is a moral and ethical populace who wants a civil and advanced society. I fear we have fewer folks like that and more who want tax cuts.
Ive brought this up before in other threads, why do people automatically think to call 'police' when they see drug use, (like a guy passed out in his car)...they should be contacting CDC or city/county CDC extension offices, they are more equipped to deal with this and trained for it, police can only detain, and arrest, but they really are not trained to effectively deal with these problems, they just end up treating them like criminals.
That needs to change. I condemn the police all the time when they do wrong but I also note that much of the problem is a lack of training and how they are trained.
People from other agencies aren't going to come out at 2 in the morning.
Reagonomics says to save money. Do the will of the taxpayers - you know, the people who know nothing about the situation!
Jail costs less per year than decent institutional care....out of sight, out of mind.
It's yet another one of those "selfish" issues like regular health care "I'm not crazy (or I have my health care), so I don't want to spend money for YOUR family member".
The only "cure" for this type of stuff is a moral and ethical populace who wants a civil and advanced society. I fear we have fewer folks like that and more who want tax cuts.
They don't belong in jail, they belong in an institution. And you should actually read the article.
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