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| OpEd: Mental health courts good alternative |
| By Statesman Journal |
| Published: 09/09/2008 |
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OREGON - The Marion County jail makes a lousy mental hospital. The graduation of the county's first mental health court class shows that there's an alternative. The mental health court is a voluntary 18-month program for low-risk offenders who ran afoul of the law because of their mental illness. If participants stay on their medications, work with counselors, attend court sessions and otherwise fulfill their individualized programs, they can avoid jail and get criminal charges dismissed from their records. This makes far more sense than the revolving door that traps so many people in jail. In fact, authorities have estimated that about one in three Marion County inmates has mental illness. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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