Ventura County Grand jury calls for creation of mental health court

By Adam Foxman
Monday, June 15, 2009

Creating a special court to order treatment and supervision for mentally ill offenders instead of jail time could help reduce recidivism and save money in Ventura County, the county grand jury said in a report released today.

In the report on the mentally ill population in county jails, the grand jury said a current interagency program would provide the framework for a mental health court, and it recommended agencies formalize it with funding and full-time personnel.

The report also notes a housing shortage for low-income people with serious mental illness in Ventura County and recommends the county ensure there is enough housing to complement a mental health court.

The report comes less than three weeks after another grand jury report on overcrowding at two of the county’s three jails. In October, the jails had about 1,680 inmates, and authorities estimated 10 to 14 percent had a mental illness. The daily cost per inmate averages $115 at the county’s Todd Road Jail and $153 at the main jail, according to the grand jury.

Of the 58 counties in California, 43 have mental health courts. The Grand Jury cited as an example a program in San Bernardino County, where repeat jail bookings for participants dropped 64 percent over seven years. The county supports participants with housing that ranges in cost from $18 to $32 a day, the grand jury said.

“There is definitely a cost savings,” said Grand Jury Foreman Ron Zenone.

Ventura County’s Multi-Agency Referral and Recovery Team, which encourages seriously mentally ill offenders to receive treatment, could be turned into a mental health court, the report states.

That program is currently staffed mostly with rotating personnel. It was initially funded by a federal grant in 2007, but that grant dried up 18 months later.

The grand jury did not say how much it would cost to create a mental health court and add housing, or how much money could be saved. Zenone said a mental health court would not be an option for all offenders with mental illness, and people could be excluded if judged to pose a danger to themselves or others.

Zenone said county law enforcement and healthcare officials who briefed the grand jury on mental illness supported the idea of a mental health court but were worried about the resources that would be required.

Ratan Bhavnani, executive director of the Ventura County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, praised the report’s recommendations.

“They’re right on track,” Bhavnani said. “This is exactly what we need for mentally ill offenders who come into contact with the court system.”

The complete report is available at http://grandjury.countyofventura.org.

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/jun/15/grand-jury-calls-for-creation-of-mental-health/