Mentally Ill in Kansas Prison More Than Double
Associated Preaa - Mon 06:30 AM 01/28/2013
The number of mentally ill prisoners in Kansas has increased by 126 percent since 2006.
The number of mentally ill prisoners in Kansas has increased by 126 percent since 2006.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that nearly two out of every five adult inmates in Kansas is classified as mentally ill.
Republican Senator Steve Fitzgerald blames the spike on what he describes as the state's failure to develop an effective community-based system of treatment. His district includes Lansing Correctional Facility.
Fitzgerald says Kansas Department of Corrections Secretary Ray Roberts is by default the provider of last resort for a growing cadre of people with mental illness.
Kansas cut mental health spending by 12 percent from 2008 to 2011. But after the school shooting in Connecticut, Governor Sam Brownback announced this month he would redirect $10 million for a new mental health initiative.
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Chatter11
Monday 28 January 2013 07:08 Report this comment
They don't need funding and they don't need help-they put themselves there - if people realized how ugly jail was maybe they'd straighten up - right now in some of them it's like a Holiday Resort-lock em up and throw away the key ------
imnotgonagetu4
Monday 28 January 2013 18:15 Report this comment
Set em free so they can add excitement in the world.