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01/08/2007

Mentally Ill Inmates: FMHI Provides Expertise

 

Serving Florida’s mentally ill inmates has become a critical issue. For many years, FMHI has been an important state and national resource in developing and disseminating knowledge on how best to support this population. The expertise of MHLP’s Randy Otto was recently called upon by Carson Cooper of WUSF’s Florida Matters Program. Cooper produced a two-part special series entitled “Mentally Ill Inmates,” in which Dr. Otto, along with Pinellas County Sheriff Jim Coates and Florida Representative Bill Galvano, provided an in-depth discussion regarding the disposition of defendants whose mental illness renders them incompetent to stand trial. This issue has gained considerable attention recently as large number of defendants throughout the state who have been adjudicated incompetent to stand trial have been held in jails for extended periods of time while awaiting transfer to state forensic hospitals for treatment. Florida law mandates that the Department of Children & Families provide training for psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals on how to evaluate defendants whose ability to understand and participate in the legal process is raised as an issue. For over 20 years, MHLP has provided this training on behalf of the Department. 

Dr. Otto also answered questions regarding the number of inmates who suffer from severe and persistent mental illness and the need to examine services for offenders with mental disorders more generally. “In areas where there are limited mental health services, statistics show that the proportion of those who end up in jail increases,” said Otto. He went on to discuss the need to have specialized training for both law enforcement and mental health providers. The interview can be heard at WUSF Florida Matters. 

MHLP’s Dr. Roger Peters,  Dr. Kathleen Moore, and Mark Engelhardt have recently begun work on another critical issue regarding the mentally ill in the justice system. The Hillsborough County Jail Diversion grant examines the effectiveness of a modified Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) approach for adults with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders who are being diverted from jail into treatment. 

"Within our Department of Mental Health Law and Policy we have great expertise on this difficult and challenging problem," said Bob Friedman, Interim Dean, FMHI. "I look forward to opportunities for FMHI to work with local and state officials in an effort to make progress with this important issue."