Guest article by Mike Shryock, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor

With 38 years experience working professionally with the mentally ill, the addicted and the criminal justice system, I am very troubled by the notion of building a larger jail. It is well known that our current jail is filled mostly with poor people with nonviolent misdemeanor charges directly related to their medical conditions which we as a society have failed to address in the community.

Now the local political leaders want to make this jail issue seem a little sweeter by adding that they will offer some “treatment” in the new jail. Treatment in jail is inferior to community-based programs. And it is more expensive, because brain disorders like addiction and mental illness require a long-term program in a caring environment to give the brain time to heal. Jail does not provide either of these.

Jail does not change brain chemistry, so we currently have a recidivism rate of 70 percent as people with these conditions commit petty crimes like urinating in the park and smoking marijuana-and end up in jail over and over again. What does that cost the community? So we constantly have more victims. The purpose of the criminal justice system is to reduce crime and have fewer victims, not to see how many we can repeatedly lock up.

Hamilton County does not have enough treatment beds. To reduce crime, beds could be expanded by putting people in excellent programs like First Step Home, Joseph House, and Prospect House. Miami, Florida has a program called Passageways that serves the mentally ill as an alternative to jail. That program saves the souls of hundreds of people and saves money for the community. Why can’t we do that here?

About 1,000 people go to the University of Cincinnati Emergency Psychiatric Service each month. Ninety percent are turned away, and those who stay have to leave in a few days-so they end up on the streets or in jail.

In his book Crazy in America, Pete Early says, “We should not require a person with a brain disorder to commit a crime in order to get medical services…We have turned mental illness into a criminal justice problem instead of a community health challenge.”

The jail issue you will note on in November calls for about $200 million for the jail of which $2 million is for “treatment” (which in many cases means dispensing medications that may or may not be what is needed). Currently the budget includes $19 million for programs-so we will be going backwards! The mental health court we have had for four years only serves 37 people. We need one that serves hundreds.

Vote NO on Issue 27 so the Sheriff and the county’s political leaders will have to find real solutions instead of this band aid approach to public safety.

To learn more about alternatives to jail, attend the Interfaith Alliance Conference on Restorative Justice October 13 (9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) at the First Unitarian Church in Cincinnati. The event is free and open to the public.

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