The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

Two letters to the editor following publication of the above article:

October 28, 2004
Mentally Ill, and in Prison

To the Editor:

Re "Treating Mentally Ill Prisoners" (editorial, Oct. 22):

In 1963, Congress passed the Community Mental Health Centers Act. At that time, many, if not most, people with mental illness were confined to large state psychiatric centers, and the act was meant to help move them toward community inclusion. Like the current Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act, that act was also underfinanced.

In New York, 93,000 people were confined to large institutions in 1953; today, approximately 4,200 receive treatment in psychiatric centers. Thus, most people with mental illness are supposed to be receiving treatment in the community. Your editorial sheds light on where many of them end up: in our prisons and jails.

The current act is a step in the right direction. An even better step would be to enhance financing for community-based treatment, including supportive housing. Mental illness is a health issue, but it is being viewed increasingly through a law-enforcement lens.

Mary Elizabeth Anderson
New York, Oct. 22, 2004
The writer is director, Mentally Ill-Chemically Addicted Project, Legal Aid Society.

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To the Editor:

I, along with most professionals, propose the reality that mental illness is a public health challenge, not a criminal justice agenda. Instead of public money being provided for programs behind the walls of prisons, provide adequate financing in the community to assist citizens suffering from psychological and emotional behavior conditions.

(Rev.) Charles E. Doyle
Michigan City, Ind., Oct. 22, 2004
The writer is a former prison chaplain and former public defender.