NJ Make Strides to Keep Mentally Ill out of Jail

In an effort to prevent those with mental illnesses from being lodged behind bars, New Jersey is offering $150,000 to prosecutors in Gloucester, Hunterdon, and Warren Counties for identifying and diverting inmates who better belong in psychiatric care.

According to Attorney General John J. Hoffman’s announcement on Tuesday, the money is provided by the New Jersey’s Drug Enforcement and Demand Reduction Fund, collected from fees imposed on convicted drug offenders.

Additionally, each county will contribute $50,000 in both monetary and in-kind contributions. Hoffman announced that these funds will be spread over a two-year period.

The state intends for prosecutors receiving the funds to contract with private psychiatric professionals. These professionals will screen inmates and subsequently establish treatment plans.

Case management will also be provided to those offenders diverted from jails. These managers will oversee their assigned individuals, reporting back to prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges whether the person is able to adhere to the established treatment plan.

Hoffman spoke to the reasoning behind this program: “No life is disposable, and when a criminal defendant’s problems appear to be caused or aggravated by a mental health disability, there is both a moral and a practical imperative for us to try to reclaim that life by offering necessary treatment and counseling.”

According to statistics provided by the Treatment Advocacy Network, there is an alarmingly larger amount of individuals in jails than in hospitals. In 2012, there were an estimated 356,000 inmates with severe mental illness in jails in prisons. That number is ten times the approximate 35,000 patients in state psychiatric hospitals.

The program, implemented in 2014, has been praised by individuals such as Phillip Lubitz, associate director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of New Jersey. “These are low level, non violent offenders,” Lubitz said, “who because of their mental illness often get arrested because of nuisance offenses.”

Hoffman expressed that “providing these services to low-level criminal defendants with a diagnosed mental disorder is not only a cost-effective alternative to prison, but research consistently shows it reduces recidivism.”

Finally, another aspect of the program that has received praise is the decision made regarding which counties would be involved. Lubitz said, “The prosecutors in all three of the selected counties have been highly proactive in this area. Today’s grant will hopefully build momentum to make similar programs available throughout the state.”