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Mental Health Court
Addresses Issues of
Over-Incarceration
Alternatives to jail for some (mostly non
violent) offenders are beginning to reduce
state prison populations, says a new study by
the Pew Center on the States. The decline is
happening for several reasons," says the Pew
Center's website, "but an important contribu
tor is that states began to realize there are
research-based ways they can cut their prison
populations, while continuing to protect
public safety." The United States locks up
a larger share of its citizens than any other
nation, and Georgia (with perhaps the nation's
strictest mandatory sentencing laws) locks up.
more than any other state. State prison costs
have tripled in 20 years (one American in
100 is now locked up, with twice that many
under probation), and jail rates continued to
increase even as crime rates dropped in the
1990s. The U.S. locks up over six times as
many of its citizens per capita as Canada does,
and four times the world's average.
"I think we've derided that jail and prison
[are] cheaper than trying to deal with the
problem," says Superior Court Judge Daniel
Sweat. But in reality, "you're going to save a
lot of money" by implementing alternatives to
jail: basically, oversight programs that allow
non-dangerous offenders to live (perhaps
with certain restrictions or requirements) in
the community. Such alternatives do cost "far
less" than lockups, says the Pew Center study;
they are becoming more popular nationwide
as prison costs have swelled. ACC already uses
several: felony drug court (which provides
treatment and regular supervision for offenders
whose crimes are related to habitual substance
abuse), "mental health court" (which provides
oversight and treatment for certain defendants
with mental problems), and "DUI court"
And ACC has plans to build g dorm-like work-
release center to provide oversight and sup
port programs for offenders who can hold jobs.
A visit last week to ACCs mental health
court—or "treatment and accountability
court*—required signing a written pledge not
to reveal the names of participants. The 16
offenders currently under the court's oversight
check in on alternate weeks with Judge Sweat
(who volunteers his time to the program).
"They tell me you're clean and sober," Sweat
told one offender, looking more like a kindly
grandfather than a stern judge. "You're doing
good," he told another. "Just hang in there."
Sweat spoke briefly with each defendant in
turn—"don't overtoad yourself... keep in bal
ance... do the next right thing"—and then
each offender received applause. He awarded a
certificate to one woman (charged with shop
lifting) for "locking your doors," going to peer
support, and staying sober.
After the session, Sweat showed statistics
to demonstrate that the program is helping at
least these offenders to stay out of jail (most
people in ACCs jail have been there before,
usually many times). In the year before they
entered the mental health court program,
this group had racked up a total of over 1400
combined jail-days in Clarke County. In the
year after entering the program, their com
bined jail days—typically for offenses like
trespass, damage to property, or battery on a
family member—were only 140. Those who are
accepted into the program get more intensive
oversight than under normal probation. The
program employs one full-time administrator,
and has saved about $80,000 in jail costs over
one year.
John Huie
VGA Student Panel
Brings Homelessness
Into the Light
Many college students lead lives sheltered
from the poverty and homelessness that sur
rounds them. However, a group of UGA activ
ists wants students to recognize that Athens
isn't simply a blithe college town, but a city
with desperate problems.
"University students make Athens their
home for four years and could have a huge
impact on the situation if they were aware
of how to help," says Lizzy Nephew, leader
of the newly-formed movement: host, nour
ish. sustain. The campaign, which began as
a public relations class project, has evolved
into an official organization aimed at educat
ing college students about the realities of
homelessness.
The students organized a panel Wednesday,
March 24 to kick off their campaign.
Moderated by public relations student and
Miss University of Georgia 2010 Laura Lyn
McLeod, the panel discussed common myths
and stereotypes associated with homelessness
and detailed ways for students to become
involved in fighting it
Typically in society we blame people, but
a lot of the time there are a lot of factors
that lead to homelessness. People need to
understand the human side*of the story," says
Donna Bliss, an assistant professor in the UGA
School of Social Work. According to the panel,
extenuating circumstances include low-paying
jobs, a lack of affordable housing, inadequate
health care and job loss due to the recession,
which could force an estimated 1.5 million
people into homelessness over the next two
years.
Evan Mills, a representative from the
ACC Department of Human and Economic
Development addressed the commonly held
misconception that homeless people are
simply "too lazy" to get a job. "Most of the
time they don't have a phone, so how can an
employer call them back? They can give the
number for a homeless shelter, but what is an
employer going to think when they call and
realize you live in a shelter?" asked Mills. He
also noted that homeless people often lack
the strong social network that many Americans
possess.
The panel discussed the types of people
who become homeless and said that many
students fail to realize that some among the
homeless population are currently enrolled in
college, and that as many as 88 of the home
less individuals in Athens-Clarke County are
under the age of 18.
Tt definitely hit me that you can't think
that homelessness is a defining quality in a
person. It's just something that's happened to
them and doesn't define them as a person,"
says sophomore McKinley Anderson, reflecting
on the presentation. The panel also featured
Lynne Griever, a representative from the Faces
of Homelessness Speakers Bureau, and Saskia
Thompson, a member of Interfaith Hospitality
Network of Athens.
Devon Young
6 FLAGPOLE.COM MARCH 31,2010
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