NYT: Mentally Ill Offenders Strain Juvenile System

[Heidi]

An inmate at the Ohio River Valley Juvenile Correctional Facility. Two-thirds of the nation’s
juvenile inmates have at least one mental illness, according to surveys.

Published: August 9, 2009

Mentally Ill Offenders Strain Juvenile System
FRANKLIN FURNACE, Ohio — The teenager in the padded smock sat in his solitary confinement cell here in this state’s most secure juvenile prison and screamed obscenities.

The youth, Donald, a 16-year-old, his eyes glassy from lack of sleep and a daily regimen of mood stabilizers, was serving a minimum of six months for breaking and entering. Although he had received diagnoses for psychiatric illnesses, including bipolar disorder, a judge decided that Donald would get better care in the state correctional system than he could get anywhere in his county.

That was two years ago.

Donald’s confinement has been repeatedly extended because of his violent outbursts. This year he assaulted a guard here at the prison, the Ohio River Valley Juvenile Correctional Facility, and was charged anew, with assault. His fists and forearms are striped with scars where he gouged himself with pencils and the bones of a bird he caught and dismembered.

As cash-starved states slash mental health programs in communities and schools, they are increasingly relying on the juvenile corrections system to handle a generation of young offenders with psychiatric disorders. About two-thirds of the nation’s juvenile inmates — who numbered 92,854 in 2006, down from 107,000 in 1999 — have at least one mental illness, according to surveys of youth prisons, and are more in need of therapy than punishment.

<snip>

Juvenile prisons have been the caretaker of last resort for troubled children since the 1980s, but mental health experts say the system is in crisis, facing a soaring number of inmates reliant on multiple — and powerful — psychotropic drugs and a shortage of therapists.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/us/10juvenile.html?hp">Read more

[proud patriot]

1. Very personal for me

My son has Bi Polar disorder .

We are close to stablization on meds thank goodness.

This article makes me mad at the system , sad for the kids
and families , and scared for my son .

:(

[Heidi]

2. Makes me very sad, too, friend.

I'm glad things are improving for your son. :hug:

[proud patriot]

3. Thanks

:hug:

[Skittles]

4. it is indeed dismal

I firmly believe that the earlier the intervention / treatment, the better the chances of a productive life

[proud patriot]

6. I sure hope you are correct

:hi:

[spiritual_gunfighter]

11. I have bipolar disorder

with medication you would never know it. I serve on my county's mental health advisory board and have advocated for the rights of the mentally ill for years.

This is a huge problem all over the country, in my home state of Illinois, in order to meet budget the state government has slashed mental health programs dramatically.

This type of thing disgusts me on so many levels. The most glaring thing and I think the thing most people care about who arent connected to issues of mental health, is the public safety issue.

With mental health budgets slashed it insures that more crimes will be committed without proper funding and help for the mentally ill.

[Posteritatis]

26. How's the advocacy going in your neck of the woods?

Attitudes towards mental health in the US or Canada in general kind of default to "shitty," but I'm curious about how they're going at a more place-by-place level. It's a bit of a sore point for me; there's some bipolar in my family that I thankfully seem to have missed, and I've run into way too much "there's no such thing as mental illness" attitude from peers, schools, etc.

Basically I'm kinda hoping to hear of some silver linings somewhere. ;)

(Also, anyone near a mental health advisory board/advocacy group/etc gets awesome points.)

[spiritual_gunfighter]

27. There are both positive and negatives

I am finding that there are some great things happening, especially in the schools in Kendall County (where I am), but there is also some resistance to mental health issues in the public at large.

One of the great things that is happening as far as the schools are concerned is reps from the mental health board, myself included are able to go into the schools and speak on this issue to principals and superintendents.

We have helped get started some early warning projects with the students and have the teachers on board to spot problems with their students and get them the help they need. We have had 2 suicides in the local high school last year and it was a wake up call for a lot of the administrators.

But overall it is still an uphill climb for the community at large, the stigma attached to mental illness prevents many from getting the help they need. There are strides being made but like I said much of it falls on deaf ears. But we still work at it every day.

[ClayZ]

5. I think they over medicate people.

I have BiPolar disorder. I was diagnosed in 1985.

Don't forget some of the most interesting people on the planet have been diagnosed with BiPolar disorder. http://www.mental-health-today.com/bp/famous_people.htm


Many of us think the rest of the world is mad!

I know that Republicans are nucking futz!

Who would not be mentally ill after the last 8 years. ARGH!

I have never been in jail. These kids need HEALTH CARE, not Jail. WTF?

[Heidi]

7. Totally agree: health care, not jail. Mental illness is NOT a crime.

:hi:

[vadawg]

13. no its not, but breaking and entering are, and so is assault

the people in the system are not there for being mentally ill, they are there for crimes they have committed, i know some of them committ crimes due to their condition, and in my experience that minority end up getting treatment programs instead of incarceration, but there are a lot of people who try to use their condition as an excuse for their criminal acts.

[Heidi]

17. What would you think of pre-sentence diversion programs for

people who commit crimes under the influence of mental illness?

Wouldn't it make your job easier if you were dealing only with people who made informed choices to commit crimes?

[vadawg]

18. i already see that in the system i work in, but the problem is that people claim stuff all the time

without going into to many details, only this morning i was dealing with a guy who constantly gets arrested for minor stuff and knows how to game the system by claiming illnesses etc, its a thin line between genuine mental disorders and people who use them as an excuse to commit crimes. Then we have people who believe that their disorder gives them the excuse to commit crimes, they think they can commit assaults etc and just claim its due to my mental disorder.. all in all its a juggling act fro the courts and they will never make everyone happy..

[Heidi]

19. Why not go into more detail? If you have statistics to support your claims that people,

and especially juveniles (since that's what the OP is about) are "gaming the system" by feigning mental illness or using genuine mental illness to "game the system," I'm sure DUers would very much like to see them.

[vadawg]

21. lol what i am telling you is from the front line, from dealing with the issue day in and day out

you would be surprised at the number of people who come in our doors who believe that if you are ill in any way then you wont be held, people claim to be suicidal with many attempts thinking this will get them better treatment when in reality it means restricted issue in a R cell, only later to fess up when they realise it was a dumb idea, then we have the seriously mentally ill who are dangers to themselves and us and provide a major housing issue as well as security issue. So no i dont have reams of statistics all i have is what i see day in and day out in the system.

[Heidi]

23. With all due respect, you're a law enforcement officer, if I understand correctly,

and not trained to diagnose mental illnesses.

I do appreciate everything you do in your capacity as a law enforcement officer, but if it's all the same to you, I'd prefer to let trained, qualified health care professionals decide who's genuinely mentally ill and who's not. They're also better qualified than jailers and LEO to decide who's genuinely suicidal and who's not. If that were not so, there would not be a single suicide in a jail anywhere on earth. :hi:

[vadawg]

25. okay, do you really want for a full mental health evaluation before deciding if someones suicidal

we dont have that luxury, the way it works is we ask, if you tell us your suicidal or have tried in the past then we take your word for it and treat you as such, as stated a lot of people think acting out is a good idea but they quickly change their mind when they are on restricted issue which only the mental health bunnies can remove after assessment. We have to make an assesment of people we deal with using our judgement due to the fact that we dont all have mental health experts riding arounf with us at our beck and call. We take all the info around us, what the subject says, what we observe, what others around them say, ie family etc then we make a judgement that errs on the side of caution, unfortunately outwith putting every inmate in the restraint chair theres no way to completely ruling out a committed persons ability to kill themselves..

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[vadawg]

29. that is a point a lot of people dont get, they make excuses for the criminal behaviour

rather than just realise that some people just want to act criminally and enjoy the rewards of the criminal life....

[Heidi]

30. I cannot (and should not attempt to) diagnose your ex-friend, as I am not a health care professional

You can call me every name in the book, imdjh, but your opinion does not discount the fact that this thread is about mentally-ill juveniles and not your shitty poser ex-friend who got all arrogant, pissed you off and lost your friendship.

Surely you must agree that people like your friend are the minority of people with mental illness, and not the majority. I could Google around and find several instances where people feigned _physical_ illness in order to "game the system," but that really has nothing to do with the OP or the majority of people with mental illness, does it?

[saltpoint]

8. The claims in this piece seem accurate to me. Mental health providers

have greater insight on these young folks' difficulties than the law enforcement officials in charge of the juvenile justice system.

[elocs]

9. My 17 year old goddaughter was diagnosed with schizophrenia and this is where she is headed.

She has been hospitalized 8 times, yes 8 times this year for a couple of weeks at a time in the psych wards of 4 or 5 different hospitals and then she has been cut loose and sent home. Of course she is good in the hospital where she cannot get into trouble and has very few options as to what she can do, but at home she falls apart.

She has broken into an old woman's house in the middle of the day after simply walking out of a therapeutic school. The woman was home and terrified, my goddaughter said she was there to inspect the wiring, she stole the woman's purse and then exited back through the broken window, cutting her arm and then walked back across the street to school as if nothing happened (except her arm was bleeding). This "therapeutic" school never once tried to stop her leaving.

She has stolen a little kid's bike, too small for her to practically ride. She has stolen a car and got caught when she drove without her lights on as well as running stop signs. All of this, when rational, she is an excellent driver.

She has gone into the alley behind her home and tried to light an aerosol can with a lighter only to have it explode and burn her hand, putting her right back into the hospital and the psych ward as well.

This last time she took off from home in the wee hours of the morning and was picked up by the police for trying to get into cars. This time they kept her in jail overnight because at 17 she is consider an adult and it was up to what the cop thought. Bear in mind that earlier this summer when she stole the car a police officer argued passionately with his superior that she was sick and needed to go to the hospital and that is where they took her (people here at DU seem to enjoy running down cops and cannot find good things to say about them, but any bad thing done by some paints all cops).

She is now in her second week in the psych ward again, bounced from hospital to hospital as her mother desperately tries to get her into a residential treatment center. Her school district will pay for it since they mishandled her case so badly, but due to her brushes with the law the residential treatment centers (where she could finish high school) say that "this is not the right place for her". I very much fear that where she will end up is in prison. In a couple of weeks she will be 18 and is absolutely considered an adult and will be at the mercy of law enforcement and judges who are compassionate enough to realize she is mentally ill and needs treatment.

[Heidi]

10. Oh, elocs, I'm so sorry to hear this.

I don't see how prison would help her, but I know how rare and expensive long-term treatment can be. One of my dearest friends--in fact, one of the brightest young women I've ever known--is schizophrenic. She just completed 2.5 years in federal prison. If she'd had adequate treatment, I don't believe she would ever have ended up in prison.

I wish your daughter in law every good thing, and I hope with my whole heart that mental health care is in our country is one of the area that will be reformed. :hug:

[elocs]

14. She is my goddaughter, but is actually like a daughter to me.

She told me a couple of years ago that her stepfather was good to her, but that I had always been "dad" for her (that still brings tears to my eyes).

It has been hard to watch her mental deterioration and to fear what might happen next, knowing there is nothing I can do about it. If she can just get into a residential school and treatment center she should be much better in getting a continuity of care and working on getting her medications right. She has been bounced around so much that none of this has happened yet. Schizophrenia is like diabetes insasmuch as there is no cure but it is very treatable.

[Heidi]

16. Exactly. I wish more people had as much compassion for the mentally ill

as for the physically ill.

You're a good godfather (sorry about the "grandfather thing." I read too fast sometimes.) :hug:

[elocs]

20. That's ok. I am actually old enough to be her grandfather.

Only about 15% of people with schizophrenia are able to hold down a full time job and that depends much upon the age at which the disease took hold of their lives. If they had been previously working full time then the odds are better. They are not good for my goddaughter who has never had a job and has not yet finished high school although she faithfully reviews the SAT guide books which she has requested.

Schizophrenia is a recognized biological brain disease just like MS or Parkinson's, but since those who suffer from it often appear normal they are not treated like they have a disease. When they do not appear normal they are not treated as having an illness, but simply as being crazy.

When my goddaughter went into the hospital just after Christmas last year she had tears in her eyes when she asked her mom, "Mom, does this mean I am crazy". Unfortunately nearly half the people with schizophrenia do not believe they are ill since the part of the brain which allows them to have self awareness is the part of the brain affected by the disease.

[Aragorn]

12. it's the money

I have made myself unpopular with law enforcement for saying this so much but they get paid to lock people up, and as in the case here these people often "commit" new offenses which keeps them even longer. With rare exceptions this is a cash cow, and while stigma has decreased there are other problems. My state has been ranked last in public mental health for years. First in executions. Lack of funding leaves people (esp kids) at home where, sadly, a lot of these genetic factors aren't addressed consistently. I have a few people who want their kid diagnosed but only to get a check. The check is supposed to help them get the kid to treatment but then they don't show up until it's time to review for that check. In such cases the parents aren't taking their meds either. But that is the system, which MAYBE gives a small amount for being sick but offers few options for help. My willingness to see and treat these folks is very rare in the rural areas where I work.

The mental health workers know the problems and try to soldier on but the legal system will not change, and again - it's the money if nothing else. Look at how easy it is to tell voters "I'm tough on crime" and how hard it is to say "We need better health care".

This is another area where universal HC and a change in punishment laws would help everyone. Win-win.

Bipolar is a great example. For the most part it is only a relative inability to regulate mood. Get that OK and you have a nice normal person. Without it some are obnoxious or even violent. Some are suicidal. Some both. Other times just fine anyway. But as I once said on the witness stand, the best psychiatrists in probably don't work in the prisons. And that judge sent a young adult for 5 years, over 1 punch off meds, to a state prison with NO PSYCHIATRIST AT ALL! In that case the public clinic also did an evaluation and they agreed with me.

[Heidi]

15. That's heartbreaking.

We have _got_ to do better than this. We have pre-sentence diversion programs for drug crimes. Why can't there be something like that for people who commit crimes under the influence of mental illness?

And that judge sent a young adult for 5 years, over 1 punch off meds, to a state prison with NO PSYCHIATRIST AT ALL!

[CoffeeCat]

22. I worry about abused children...

...who develop coping mechanisms in order to deal with horrendous abuse at home. They will develop PTSD
or become depressed and then "act out" by committing crimes or showing poor judgment.

Then, some psychiatrist gets involved and slaps a label on them (bipolar, ADHD) and then medicates them
into a stupor while warehousing them in juvenile detention or mental institutions.

I was severely abused as a child and I was in college when my parents began insisting that I had ADHD or
bipolar disorder. How convenient for them, huh? They had no power over me at that point, so I was able
to avoid further abuse that they could foist on me--using pharmaceuticals or the juvenile justice system.

I'd probably be dead or completely broken down if that had happened.

I was lucky. I was able to find a remarkable therapist who helped me heal from my childhood. No labels
were slapped on me and I was never drugged, although it was clear I had PTSD. After five years of intense
therapy, I am healed and I have my life back.

It seems like children who have been abused, must have an incredible amount of luck to avoid further abuse by
society and by the system.

[Heidi]

24. CoffeeCat,

the world is a better place for that remarkable therapist and your desire toheal. I'm glad you have your life back. We need to be doing better by abused and mentally-ill kids in our country, absolutely. :hug: