Mentally ill inmates need aid, report says

AUGUSTA – Mentally ill prison and jail inmates fare poorly in a correctional system that offers limited mental health services while focusing on security and punishment, say advocates for the mentally ill.

In a recent report, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Maine said expensive new treatment services are needed to help the thousands of inmates in the state with mental health problems.

In many other states, the report noted, lack of treatment has placed prisons under class-action lawsuits for violations of federal law.

Two recent incidents in Maine point to the need for changes, said Carol Carothers, executive director of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Maine.

In one, a 19-year-old man was transferred from the Lincoln County jail and committed suicide after being segregated at the state’s Supermax prison because he showed signs of depression and possible suicide.

Another incident involved a 22-year-old man housed at the Supermax, who bit off pieces of his fingers.

Mentally ill people often arrive at the state’s jails and prisons after running into problems with law enforcement officials because of their illnesses, Carothers said, and the treatment they receive in jails often makes their illnesses worse.

She cited national statistics that suggest that 15 percent of jail admissions require specialized placements because of serious mental illnesses.

Carothers said her group’s proposals would be large, complex and expensive.

“This will have a huge bill and it will be very controversial,” she said.

Rep. Edward J. Povich, D-Ellsworth, House chairman of the Legislature’s Criminal Justice Committee, said he would sponsor legislation derived from Carothers’ study.

But he made it plain he will alter her group’s proposals after consulting with county and state corrections officials.

“I said if you want me to hang onto all of them, then I’m the wrong sponsor. But if you want me to lead a discussion, that’s what I’ll do,” Povich said.