By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CENTRALIA – The budding mental health court program underway in Lewis County has six or seven individuals participating and Lewis County Jail Chief Kevin Hanson highlighted one of their successes this evening.
“This guy has been in the jail 30 times in the last 10 years, and he’s a real handful,” Hanson said. “He does things that are frankly disgusting.”
But he’s been out for a year, and a productive member of society, Hanson said.
Hanson was sharing with Centralia city council members information about an ongoing project he says is currently underway in the local criminal justice system without any additional funding.
Working with him are the prosecutor’s office and the judges. Hanson has three full time mental health workers at his jail as well.
The idea, according to Hanson, is aimed at keeping more people who have serious mental health issues out of the jail.
He cited some statistics.
Forty-three percent of the inmate population has severe mental health issues, he said.
Their stay at the jail is almost three times the length of the time spent there by the non-mentally ill, he said.
And it costs $90 a day when they are locked up.
The way it’s been working is once a person is selected for participation, they plead guilty to whatever offense put them in jail, and then the judge suspends their sentence, but puts in place numerous conditions. Such as, they must take their medications, stay off drugs, stay off alcohol and maintain regular contact with their care provider, he said.
One of his mental health workers at the jail works out in the field monitoring their progress, like a case manager, according to Hanson.
The participant whose name he did not share has fallen off the wagon, so to speak, but he self-reported his infraction, according to Hanson. He admitted to smoking marijuana, and so the prosecutor un-suspended some of his jail time, Hanson said.
County employees currently involved call this Mental Health Alternative Programs. But some would like to see it transformed into a full-fledged mental health court.
“Where are we going?” Hanson said to the city council. “I’m sure you’ve heard of therapeutic courts. That’s where we’re headed.”
It was about four years ago when officials approved a one-tenth of one cent [1] local sales tax to fund drug court and other related programs.
The proceeds can only be spent on what are called therapeutic courts – such as drug court and mental health court – and certain other measures to reduce substance abuse and help keep mentally ill individuals stable.
Hanson and Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer last week gave a presentation to the board that oversees how those funds are spent.
Lewis County Commissioner Edna Fund, who brought Hanson to Centralia City Hall this evening, called it “kind of economic development.”
“So people can stay in their homes, and keep their jobs,” Fund said.