Mentally ill find alternatives to jail

Print
E-mail

By Bill Torpy

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For years, Todd Free – an Army veteran from a good, hardworking Gainesville family – was in and out of jail. Drugs, stealing and the wild life were ruining his life.

Enlarge photo

Todd Free helps his dad, Charlie Free (in back), cut up some trees on his dad's property. Todd Free, of Gainesville, had psychotic episodes, abused drugs and was in and out of jail for several years. But now he's a refrigeration repair guy at a chicken plant and doing pretty well, thanks to the county's mental health court.

Bob Andres, bandres@ajc.com Todd Free helps his dad, Charlie Free (in back), cut up some trees on his dad's property. Todd Free, of Gainesville, had psychotic episodes, abused drugs and was in and out of jail for several years. But now he's a refrigeration repair guy at a chicken plant and doing pretty well, thanks to the county's mental health court.

More Atlanta area news »

Facing jail time again four years ago, Free got lucky.

He was directed to Hall County’s mental health court, which got him to agree to medical treatment for his bipolar disorder, to counseling and vocational training. Today, at 44, he’s healthy, has a positive mind-set and a solid job.

Hall County’s mental health court is one of 16 such courts created across the state in the past decade. The new style of justice tries to divert the mentally ill from jail to treatment.

So far, such courts have made a difference. In DeKalb County, the court has help cut recidivism rates. But that success is a drop in the bucket compared to the massive need.

Over the past decades, the closing of mental hospitals has put thousands of people with mental illness on American streets and, many times, in jail.

“It’s time we work smarter instead of simply prosecuting mentally ill offenders and temporarily removing them from our communities, only to have them return less stable and without supervision,” Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said.

The state has increased mental health funding.

This year, the state also added seven more assertive community treatment or ACT teams, bringing the number of state-funded ACT teams to 19, with three more coming by next summer.

The 10-member teams include psychiatrists, nurses, clinical sociologists, caseworkers and vocational specialists. They assess the mentally ill on the streets, then bring the treatment to them.

“We’re in parks, shelters, personal care homes, even underpasses,” said Brenda Newcom, who oversees outpatient mental health services at Grady Memorial Hospital.

In Friday’s newspaper, the AJC presents the second part of an update to our "Hidden Shame" series on Georgia's psychiatric hospitals and group homes. The full, deeper story is one you'll get only by picking up a copy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution or logging on to the paper’s iPad app. Subscribe today.