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Yahoo!High-powered number crunchers for the County of Santa Barbara have concluded it costs $12,000 less a year to house and treat a mentally ill homeless person than it does to keep them locked up in the county jail. This statistical revelation came in response to last year’s Grand Jury report that described the county jail as a revolving door for the mentally ill indigent. That report concluded, “This recycling is not good for the county,” a finding heartily reaffirmed by the response embraced unanimously by the county supervisors this Tuesday.
County administrators found that it costs roughly $44,572 a year to keep someone struggling with mental illness under lock and key for a year. By contrast, it would cost the county $33,560 a year to house and treat that same individual. But this assumes there are places available to house this population and funding available to pay for the in-home services to treat them. According to the most recent report, it costs between $95,000 to $170,000 to create an additional unit of such housing. And given the state of mental health funding, financial support for such services is problematic at best.
Paul Wellman
Families ACT! holds a press conference at the county administrative building
Longtime homeless advocate Mike Foley—and director of the La Casa Esperanza homeless shelter—objected that the most recent report significantly overstated the cost of housing while dramatically understating the true cost to the criminal justice system of “criminalizing” the mentally ill. Foley contended that it’s far cheaper to secure dwelling units in existing housing scattered throughout the county than it is to build new developments. Likewise, he faulted the county’s report for failing to consider the costs of arresting the mentally ill homeless, transporting them to county jail, arraigning them, and processing them through the courts.
While the county supervisors typically bicker over such politically divisive issues as the homeless, they found themselves in general agreement about the problem. What to do about it, however, proved an elusive matter. “Everyone agrees,” exclaimed 4rth District Supervisor Joni Gray, “but we’re not getting anywhere.” First District Supervisor Salud Carbajal noted, “We could have spent less and treated more,” while bemoaning the likelihood the report will be consigned to an administrative shelf and accumulate dust.
Third District Supervisor Doreen Farr, a leader on homeless maters, argued it was necessary for the county to develop an action plan even if the funds do not currently exist to support it. “It’s easy to say we don’t have the money, but 25 percent is a whole lot of money to be spending the wrong way.” Second District Supervisor Janet Wolf expressed hope that state funding might be forthcoming for alternatives to incarceration as part of AB 109. That’s the state bill requiring county jails to take nonviolent offenders now serving up to three years in state prisons. To date, Santa Barbara County has taken 106 additional inmates as a result of AB 109.
Undersheriff Jim Peterson expressed optimism that a greatly anticipated new North County jail would contain 16 new acute mental health beds. Currently, there are 12 countywide. Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino also seized upon the new North County jail—still far from certain—suggesting the additional space could allow the mentally ill to be segregated from the general population and given treatment in a space better designed to meet their needs.
The complexity in addressing the needs of the mentally ill was made manifest during a press conference held by mental health advocates urging the supervisors to fund treatment rather than incarceration. Nancy Speer charged that her mentally ill adult son has been “brutalized” while recently in County Jail. When she visited, he was lying in a naked fetal position on the concrete floor of the “safety cell.” He hadn’t eaten, she said, and there were self-inflicted wounds all over his body. “Do unto others,” she said—her voice cracking—“as you would have them do unto you.” Then her son, Ben Warren, spoke, and he said his experience in County Jail was positive and beneficial. Warren was jailed for violating probation after having been initially arrested for getting into a fight. Only recently, he acknowledged, has he agreed to take medications; before that he refused.
Comments
Another failed policy of then governor Ronald Reagan, but we've known this for years.
Ken_Volok (anonymous profile)
April 18, 2012 at 1:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
There are other costs not mentioned in this article where the jail environment, here locally, aggravates the symptoms of mental illness that extend a patients condition, indefinitely, under these kind of environments.. burdening long term consequences for society.
An average, ordinary person could get Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from just a brief experience with the local facility - due to excessive force imposed on detainees by correctional deputy staff; as well as the depraved conditions in maintenance the facility is currently being managed.
At the Santa Barbara Jail Facility, one will find excrement left on the floor, blood splat stains on the walls, never washed; cob webs over the urinals .. maybe fit for someone like Charles Manson - but not necessarily the common criminal, or people just having a difficult time adjusting in society.
Hence the facility is below standard - and whether it be the Sheriff or his staff - are guilty of gross negligence and non compliance to what is expected even for a jail in the United States.
The caliber of people hired as correctional guards rarely, if ever, have the dimension necessary to discern any level of discretion over third parties.
Training and oversight is horrible, and its reported that little to nothing is done about complaints, and whistleblowers are retaliated against.
For those who don't have mental illness, it has been remarked that the facility "is breeding a fiercer, more efficient terrorist."
The Sheriff Department staff, at the facility, comprise of personality profiles that aren't exactly social worker material - and undoubtedly, have a set of their own mental health challenges as well, having chosen such occupational paths within these kinds of environments.
It appears the PowerPoint statistical presentation delivered by the Sheriff Department was a bit vague, convoluted, inconsistent, where accuracy and data was hard for the public to decipher.
It's time for the department to have a staff overhaul first, before admitting further consumers, where mental health challenges can be sufficiently addressed.
But alas, the Sheriff preoccupies its priorities to self agrandizing themselves with special commendations, awards, plaques, bonuses, perks, and pats on their own backs for barely doing what they are supposed to be doing, anyway.
SantaNa (anonymous profile)
April 18, 2012 at 4:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Many states and the Feds cleared out mental hospitals with the promise of establishing neighborhood based small care homes. Everyone wanted them in someone else's neighborhood
passagerider (anonymous profile)
April 18, 2012 at 5:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
State Funds forthcoming??!! Does Janet even read the news? The State is projected to be $10 BILLION upside down. They don't have money nor is any coming in the near future. Hey, I can write up a plan on how I'm going to spend my lottery winnings .... problem is I haven't won yet.
Action Plan = Staff or Contract Employees + Hours + $$$$
Is that simple enough for you to read Doreen??? I can't cut and paste pictures here.
Complex problem with no easy solution.
BeachFan (anonymous profile)
April 18, 2012 at 5:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is a no brainer.
The mentally ill should not be mixed with the prison population.
Not only is it bad policy, but it costs the taxpayers more. Mentally ill people don't get better in a criminal environment. And the prison population only gets more agitated when the mentally ill are mixed in, causing unhealthy consequences to prisnors and staff.
Tell the CCPOA California Correctional Peace Officers Association to stick to the prison business and let the professional mental health workers do their jobs treating the mentally ill.
Sorry Sheriff Brown, no new jail for the mentally ill or non-violent population.
Now if only Das Williams would stand up and take some leadership on this issue keeping his union buddies at bay.
Georgy (anonymous profile)
April 18, 2012 at 9:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Families Act did outstanding work in organizing this news conference, and has consistently focused our community’s eyes on the needs of those who have mental health challenges, “self-medicate” with various substances and because of this loose their housing.
Elsewhere I have referred to this as the “triple challenge” of mental illness, addiction and homelessness, and some estimate that it may account for up to 25% of those who are on the street (Wayne Mellinger, Noozhawk ““Triple Challenged Can’t Grapple With Their Demons Alone” 1-14-12).
These people need integrated addiction treatment and mental health services. The County of Santa Barbara sadly lacks these services and one of the great merits of Suzanne Riordan and Families Act is that it has consistently raised awareness for the need for rehabilitation beds.
As one who has struggled with these issues myself, and knows personally what it is like to desperately need services and to not find them, I urge the people of Santa Barbara county to contact their supervisors and let them know that you support the rights of those with mental health challenges and support their access to the supportive services they need to transition into lives of self-sufficiency.
Let the leaders of Santa Barbara know that all human beings deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and have access to basic human services. Let them know that you support social justice!
Wayne M. Mellinger
Community Organizer, SEAT At The Table (a new Homeless Advocacy Organization in Santa Barbara)
WayneMellinger (anonymous profile)
April 19, 2012 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The assumption is that if you treat the homeless and they will not commit crimes or otherwise need to be incarcerated. Is it possible that some of the mentally ill undergoing treatment would also commit crimes and need to be incarcerated?
More than probable I think. Unless you are talking about a secure facility like Atascadero state hospital. The costs there are high as well.
Botany (anonymous profile)
April 25, 2012 at 10:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The policy has been more expensive to our collective morality.
ahem (anonymous profile)
April 29, 2012 at 8:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)