Through the years the Emery County Sheriff’s Office has dealt with a lot of people with mental health issues. What is the best way to handle those with mental health issues and where do they fit into the criminal justice system?
Sometimes it’s up to the families involved to recognize a mental health issue before it becomes a criminal issue and work from that side to prevent crimes.
Another angle that’s thrown into the mix is these people often have drug and alcohol issues which intensive their problems.
Emery County Sheriff Greg Funk said there are real and pressing problems in Emery County and the path of treating and getting help for those with mental issues who commit crimes isn’t clearly marked.
“When someone comes into our system and we suspect there are mental health issues, we can’t effectively house and get them the help they need.
“Support from the state for mental health patients is lacking. Or maybe not lacking, but it’s not widespread enough to help the local rural jails out when dealing with mental health patients who commit crimes,” said Sheriff Funk.
Sheriff Funk has met several times with state officials and their goal is to restore these mental health patients to the capacity where they are ready to stand trial for their crimes.
If they are unrestoreable and cannot stand trial for their crimes, they are turned back to the judge to determine what to do with them. With the most likely event being they are released back into the community.
Sheriff Funk feels the county jail facility is the wrong place for those with mental illness. One case study the jail has dealt with has caused problems within the facility and isn’t able to be in the general population. This has led to a solitary confinement. “This is the wrong place for those with mental illness. We don’t have the training or the facilities to house them properly. Our deputies aren’t trained for dealing with mental health issues. There’s a short class at the POST training, but it’s not adequate for what we have to deal with in our jails. This is a problem all over the state, not just here in Emery County.
“Rural areas lack for mental health care facilities anyway and mental health help within county jails is practically non-existent.
“The system is broken, the state needs to figure out a way to deal with these issues. Every county has someone, the whole system is flawed.
“After someone with mental health issues is arrested they then go for a competency hearing if the judge orders one. The state hospital will send down someone to do an evaluation. If they feel that they are incompetent then they will try to get them a bed at the facility. In our case study, we had someone found incompetent and we have been told there isn’t a bed. They can be held at the state hospital for as long as their sentence would have been.
“If someone is held for the amount of their sentence time and then they are deemed unrestoreable, they are turned back over to our judges, the state basically doesn’t know what to do with them or have the funds to help. Oftentimes the mentally ill people are released back into the community.
“Right now the state hospital is telling us there aren’t any beds to have someone evaluated. Since they are telling us this is the case, we are at least hoping the state will look at paying for medication. Currently we are spending about $6,000 a month on medications for one inmate. Our entire budget for the whole year for medications, doctor’s visits, hospital stays and everything to do with inmate health and safety is $25,000. Our budget is being used up rapidly. We have also found if the state hospital does help us, they don’t want to pay the big bucks for the best medication, but only enough to get by. It’s frustrating. These expenses are a burden for a county jail. Four Corners has offered to help with some medication for our jail, which will be a help,” said Sheriff Funk.
Jail Sgt. Dusty Butler said he’s been told by the state hospital there are 76 people ahead of Emery County who need a bed. It could be as many as six months to a year out before they could take anyone from Emery County.
Sheriff Funk said one of the bills at the legislature this season concerns renting beds at the Salt Lake County jail to help with the backlog of those needing mental health help. They would put in a wing with 24 beds. The state would fund it and provide the services. Sheriff Funk said that would help, he doesn’t know if the bill will pass or go anywhere, but it’s been proposed.
Sgt. Butler said he has seen a deterioration when inmates are placed in solitary confinement. It’s not good for them, their conditions worsen.
“We’re really not trained for this, it puts the inmates at risk, but there are some inmates that can’t be released into the public, they are a risk to public safety.
“Most of our jailers are the rookies, they are fresh out of POST. I’ve learned a few things in my 20 years, to help work with inmates. It’s our job to keep them alive and healthy, until they are sentenced or if they are here in the county jail serving time, then we do everything we can for them while they are here. We take care of getting them to the doctor, administer medications, etc. It’s frustrating, though, I wish we were trained more to handle mental illness, but then why should we have to be. We are a county jail and not a mental health facility.”
Sheriff Funk said, “Realistically, the state should be taking care of mental health inmates. The state hospital is not complying with judges orders. But, they tell me they aren’t responsible to a judge? The state claims they don’t have enough money to deal with this issue.”
At one time it was reported the state hospital had 2,000 beds available. Now, there are only 200 beds and the mental health care for patients has been left with the counties, and counties aren’t equipped or funded to properly handle the mental health care crisis.
“There are many now frustrated with the mental health system as it is now. After people are released from the state hospital, there needs to be a monitoring system to keep them on their medication. If people stay on their medications, there’s a chance they can remain stable and function in society. It’s frustrating, no one wants to deal with these mental health issues.
“For those who have been sentenced, there is a wing in the state prison, too. This is for violent people and for some sex offenders.
“Sometimes we have to drop the charges on people then they can get them treatment in the behavioral clinics and then get them on their way. This happens to us quite a bit with the people coming off the bus in Green River. Sometimes they commit a minor theft. So they are sent away get some treatment and then sent on their ways.
“You can’t do that with violent offenders. Some are a threat to society and a public safety risk.
“I think the more episodes, someone has the harder it is to bring them back, it’s a lot easier to just keep them on their medication,” said Sgt. Butler.
Sheriff Funk said he has become aware of a case in New York where a woman was kept in solitary confinement for three years because there was no bed in a facility for her, she’s suing because of the mental anguish this has caused her.
Sheriff Funk is hopeful a new monitoring program they are starting with Lowell Morris from the Emery Medical Center will be helpful. Dr. Morris will help administer medications and keep a close eye on the general health of those in the jail facility.
After someone is released from jail, Dr. Morris will also have the person keep in contact and meet regularly with him to ensure they are staying on their medications and not having any setbacks. There are some inmates who come into jail addicted to drugs. Some of these drugs you can come off of cold turkey, but the withdrawals from certain drugs can kill you. Dr. Morris will closely monitor any people coming in with these issues.
As part of the Justice Reform Initiative, all people coming into the jail will undergo an evaluation. This evaluation will allow an assessment of each individual and their individual needs. A plan will be made to help each individual.
Sgt. Butler believes that most of those coming into the facility have drug and alcohol issues caused by mental health issues which may not have been treated. Some individuals will self-medicate in order to deal with their mental health issues.
“We are really lucky to have Lowell Morris to help us. He will monitor the physical and mental health of these inmates. Everyone has someone in their family or friends who suffers from mental health issues, we need to help these people and bring awareness to this issue. Most people don’t want to think about it. The legislature has been getting involved with JRI. They want to rehabilitate people instead of incarcerate. We are just trying the best we can to make this work. We want to help these people to get healthy and come back into society.
“Each county is trying something different and no one really knows how it’s going to turn out,” said Sheriff Funk.
“It’s a difficult situation the county jails have been placed in,” said Sgt. Butler.
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