The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“MENTALLY ILL OFFENDERS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S11365-S11366 on Nov. 16, 2004.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
MENTALLY ILL OFFENDERS
Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I come to the floor in support of the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act. On October 11, 2004, the Senate passed this bill and on October 30, 2004, President Bush signed it into law. I am very pleased that this law is now on the books because it will help address a serious problem that I have talked about before on several occasions.
Each year, more than 700,000 individuals with serious mental illness are booked into our Nation's jails. A recent Justice Department study revealed that 16 percent of all inmates in America's state prisons and local jails today are mentally ill. This has created one of the biggest challenges facing our front-line police officers, judges, prosecutors, and corrections officers and has left mentally ill inmates caught in a destructive cycle.
As a former prosecuting attorney, I know about the helplessness that law enforcement officers feel when they have no other option than to arrest and incarcerate a person with mental illness who has committed a non-violent crime. I have seen the cycle of a non-violent, mentally ill offender who is arrested repeatedly and put into the system repeatedly--never being treated for his illness and, as a result, becoming more and more ill. I also have shared the frustration of judges who repeatedly sentence these low-level offenders, knowing that, without connection to needed services, they will just end up right back in the courtroom.
Despite the complexity of these issues, recent initiatives demonstrate that we can increase public safety and reduce the numbers of mentally ill people trapped in the criminal justice system. We know that if given appropriate care early, the special needs of the mentally ill can be addressed to avoid a growing problem that increases the likelihood of repeat offenses. Four years ago, Senator Pete Domenici, Representative Ted Strickland, and I authored America's Law Enforcement and Mental Health Act. As a consequence of this law, the U.S. Department of Justice made available to 37 jurisdictions $7 million in funding and technical assistance for mental health courts. These courts are staffed by a core group of specialized professionals, including a dedicated judge, prosecutor, and public defender, who deal with mental illness cases and a court liaison to the mental health services community. While still early in their implementation, mental health courts have shown promising results. Mentally ill persons who choose to have their cases heard in a mental health court often do so because that is the first real opportunity that many have had to seek treatment.
Last year, Senator Leahy, Senator Domenici, Representative Strickland and I introduced the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act. Our bill authorizes a grant program to help states and counties design and implement collaborative efforts between their criminal justice and mental health systems. This would allow, for example, a State corrections department to partner with the mental health system to ensure that people with mental illness released from prison are provided medications and connected to community-based service providers. It also could provide for programs to train local law enforcement on responding to individuals with mental illness. These programs would be proposed and controlled by the local and State officials most knowledgeable about the needs of their communities.
Since its inception, our Nation has stood on the foundations of compassion and justice. These programs envisioned by this bill are a wonderful embodiment of both ideals and have earned a broad coalition of support from law enforcement, mental health advocates, state officials and private groups, including the Council of State Governments, the National Sheriffs' Association, the Police Executive Research Forum, and the American Correctional Association. With this bill, we move closer to both addressing the needs of the mentally ill and easing the burden upon our police and correctional workers. It will make a real difference, and I thank my colleagues--especially Ranking Member Leahy, Senator Grassley, Senator Durbin, Senator Domenici, Senator Cantwell, Chairman Hatch, and Senator Murray for their support. I would also like to thank Congressman Strickland and Chairman Sensenbrenner for championing this issue on the House side.
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