[vrba44070]

I was wondering about the care people get after being released from prison. I hold an art workshop at a drop-in center that serves the mentally ill. One day a man was trying to arrange services for himself and find a way to get a dollar so he could pay the one dollar a night charge at a homeless shelter. I write 2 blogs. One about the drop-in center (I hide identities) called word salad world and another about general mental health issues called a baffled look. I'm researching what kinds of services this man is entitled to receive so I can help him and post the information in a baffled look. If people received follow up care after coming out of the hospital they wouldn't decompensate and get arrested for petty or serious crimes. Has anyone who has been in jail received proper follow up care?
A lot of people at the drop-in center don't understand that they're ill. They know they've been in the mental health system and get a free meal and other services but they don't believe they're ill. So when they feel bad they use drugs or alcohol to self medicate and wind up getting arrested. Over half the people that come to my drop-in center are homeless. They get arrested for nuisance crimes or drug possession because after the drop-in center closes for the day they have no place to go. There's a PBS Frontline documentary called The New Asylums about mentally ill people in the criminal justice system and another called The Released about services after incarceration. I highly recommend watching them.

[mimi2112]

Thank you for the work you do at the drop- in center and for your blogs. I read them before when you posted in another thread; I don't remember the subject of that thread.
I recently watched a program about skid row in Los Angeles, Ca. Primarily the homeless on skid row have severe mental illness and resort to self medication. They are criminalized, and I think that is the point of your thread here. I agree sometimes the mentally ill commit crimes, but they are not crimes in my opinion that need to be prosecuted. They are often committed out of desperation.
The homeless and vagrants are criminalized for loitering or "theft". Theft being of things like shopping carts and milk crates from grocery stores. It got bad around 2004 when the city of LA. went into full force in their "revitalization project" As a consequence, the mentally ill were ticketed for loitering, littering, theft etc. Police came and threw all of their belongings in dumpsters. The citations that were handed out included notices to appear and fines. Of course the people who were given the tickets didn't show up in court or pay fines. Warrants were issued and arrests were made and the county jail became a warehouse of mentally ill.
In short, these people were not given any direction as far as aftercare follow up. No resource guides for people to receive mental health services or any social services for that matter.

What I know about the state I live in now is that the MI are absolutely criminalized. When a person is decompensating, psychotic, etc. they are taken to jail and kept there. This is true even when it is established that the person already has a diagnosis and is under the care of a physician. They are treated as if it is their fault for being paranoid, delusional and hostile. It doesn't matter if a person has become unstable because of a medication issue etc. That person is not given access in jail to his/her meds or a medical person. Usually it takes days if not weeks for the person's family and attorney to be heard in court as an advocate for the one who is ill and in jail. There have been many cases here of people jailed for a mental illness issue. Many have committed suicide in jail. Montana now has the highest national suicide rate. No, when they are released they are not given any follow up care. Most of the "criminal " charges stick, so the person has to go to court and then is sentenced. Also, their names are printed in the newspaper.

I think that all states are different in their approach. Here in Mt. it is awful. I am from Ca. and I know services are much better there since 2005. I have heard positive stories from other states about social services being very involved in a mentally ill person's criminalization. In some areas these charges are dropped and a social worker is assigned and treatment plans go into effect.

Sorry this was so long.

[vrba44070]

Thanks for reading my blogs and the info you provided in your reply. Have you ever read The Soloist by Steve Lopez? It's about a former Julliard student who becomes a schizophrenic and winds up homeless in LA. It was made into a movie w/ the same name. I just posted in word salad about a girl who gets arrested and released w/out charges. It made her paranoia much worse. Like many mentally ill persons I'm afraid of cops. I live in a nice house in suburbia so I can imagine how much worse it is to have a mental illness and be homeless. So many people at the drop-in center I volunteer at have been arrested for nothing. They're afraid of the police and their fear is considered suspect.
There's another book I read called Crazy by Pete Earley. It's about mentally ill inmates at a Miami, FL jail.
I have some research to do before I post about what happens once the mentally ill are released. FL has nothing for them except county mental health and it can take months to get in and see someone. There's a PBS Frontline documentary about what happens after release in Ohio. I highly recommend it. You can watch it at their website. Thank you and take care.

[avlady]

This is so sad of a situation, it makes me wonder what will happen to me if something should happen to me. I am disabled and often worry about my access to my meds and such. How will my family be contacted etc. I feel for these people and hope the system will grow and get better in the future

[mimi2112]

I have not read the book or seen the movie but I want to share this.

[mimi2112]

Avlady> depending on where you live, you might be able to get a legal document called a "psychiatric advance directive". This would be a protection for you in case you are unable to speak for yourself if the police do become involved.

[newtus]

@vrba44070

ive seen both documentaries they are very very good.

i sometimes worry. you know.

im 22
i am diagnosed with schizophrenia and have had maybe 3 or so police encounters. there was one last year i had a psychotic episode at a college and i was escorted out with about 4-5 officers and a detective. i had no weapons and i was not on drugs. they put me in psychiatric room/cell type deal in a hospital wing. they locked the door on me for 4 1/2 hours. no bathroom - nothing. just a bed and had a sink in there - similar to a jail cell almost. ive never been in jail but have been picked up by police and have been taken to a couple of the worst hospitals in dallas, tx.

for my life now im just trying to survive day to day.
im not homeless not close to that. but my finances have gone way down drastically in the past couple years... i am on disability...