Advocates slam LePage plan to place Riverview patients in prison unit
Source: Bangor Daily News
UGUSTA, Maine A proposal from Gov. Paul LePage to place violent patients with mental illnesses at the Maine State Prison ran into stiff resistance after its Monday roll-out.
Jenna Mehnert, the executive director of NAMI Maine, condemned the plan in harsh terms, saying the group was flabbergasted, shocked and horrified at the plan, which she called criminalization of mental illness.
Its LePages response to problems at the Riverview Psychiatric Center, the state-run hospital on Augustas east side that was decertified by the federal government in 2013 and is struggling with staffing shortages that a watchdog has said puts patients and staff at risk.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services said Monday that its proposal would allow it to move violent patients at the hospital to a 32-bed unit at the state prison in Warren that opened in 2014 with support from advocates to treat people in Maines prison and jail systems with mental illnesses.
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Read more: http://bangordailynews.com/2016/02/01/politics/advocates-slam-lepage-plan-to-place-riverview-patients-in-prison-unit/
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)jwirr
(39,215 posts)in the Psychiatric Center with the other mentally ill patients.
If the people of Maine allow this they are all in need of placement in that state run hospital.
jpak
(41,758 posts)They lost millions in federal funding and now they plan to transfer non-criminal patients to LePew's prison.
More Shock Doctrine from ALEC and the Kochs.
yup
jwirr
(39,215 posts)his henchmen are cowards from day one.
It was the people of Maine who put him in that chair, so they must bear the responsibility for anything that LePage does...until he is out of office!!!
jpak
(41,758 posts)in 3-way contests.
FYI
jwirr
(39,215 posts)two party system.
jpak
(41,758 posts)LePuke is the reason why...