The provision of community processing options and intervention programs improves public security and guarantees that our judicial system confirms the dignity of each individual.
I worked in the criminal justice system all my career. As a federal prosecutor and now as a prosecutor of the District of the County of Oklahoma, I saw in the first hand to what extent the untreated mental illness feeds the rotating door of the arrest, the imprisonment, the release, the rearraction, the incarceration and the release. I have spent decades navigating in the complexities of our legal system, and I can confidently say that there is a direct correlation between investment in intervention and treatment programs and crime in our community.
Too often, our prisons act as mental health retention establishments, some people landing behind bars not because they are dangerous, but because they are mentally ill and do not have access to a continuum of care. This approach is neither fair nor effective. He relaxes our legal system, burdens the police and taxpayers, and does not manage to approach the deep causes of the reason why a mental person continues to enter the criminal justice system.
In the county of Oklahoma, we are witnessing the consequences of this disalcranement. Oklahoma County prison has long struggled with overpopulation and inadequate conditions. Many detainees suffer from mental health problems that are not dealt with for years, exacerbating their conditions and increasing the probability of recurrence at the Liberation.
Mental health treatment helps reduce crime rates
Programs such as the short -up and short dreams (Mental Health Court) offer a more compassionate and sensible alternative. By diverting people with mental health and consumption of substances far from incarceration and treatment, these initiatives help not only people to cycle in the system, but can also restore families and dignity of those who suffer from a mental illness.
The result is a lower crime rate and safer communities. On Oklahoma City only, the crime rate has decreased considerably over the past six years.
The provision of community processing options and intervention programs improves public security and guarantees that our judicial system confirms the dignity of each individual.
As a person who has pursued high level affairs, I understand the importance of a just and effective legal system. By placing mental health care at the center of justice reform, we can create a system that really serves and protects our community.
To break the cycle, we must prioritize mental health care as the cornerstone of the reform of justice.
Vicki Behenna is the District Prosecutor of Oklahoma County. Previously, she was executive director of the Innocence project and American assistant lawyer, where she helped continue Timothy McVeigh after the Oklahoma City attack.