EDITORIAL: Don't scrimp on mental-health services

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The Erie Bureau of Police, the Erie County Prison, the Erie County Adult Probation and Parole Department and various Erie agencies are working together to provide mental-health treatment for people in the criminal justice system.

But as Lisa Thompson reported in our Times In-Depth report, "Inmates in crisis," June 22-23, the plans they have developed are not perfect because resources are limited even as the number of people with mental-health issues has increased. For example, in 2008, the Probation and Parole Department handled 182 cases of mentally ill offenders a month; now, officers handle 417 cases a month.

Erie County officials have undertaken many initiatives to keep those with mental illnesses out of prison. In 2002, Erie County Judge William R. Cunningham started a mental-health treatment court for those charged with nonviolent offenses. Erie police, who respond to calls involving a mental-health crisis about three times a day, try to divert the people they encounter into mental-health treatment programs. "I can't stress enough, if it is recognized as a mental-health problem, that is the direction we are going to try, unless the seriousness of the crime is such we have no other option," Erie Police Chief Randy Bowers said. "Sometimes, it ends up as a combination of arrest and treatment."

Erie County President Judge Ernest J. DiSantis Jr. has suggested reviving a police unit that paired a mental-health worker with an officer. Bowers said he can't create a new unit at this time. "The size of our department is the size of department the city of Erie can afford," he said. Considering the demands on Erie police to respond to gun violence both day and night, Bowers' pragmatic response makes sense.

Every Erie officer has been trained to recognize and respond to calls that involve mental-health issues. Bowers has also worked with Millcreek Community Hospital to speed up the process for involuntary commitments to divert those with mental illnesses away from the criminal justice system. Experts warn that people with mental illnesses have a difficult time adjusting to prison, and they advocate for increased funding for early intervention, to provide help before a mentally ill person ends up being charged with a crime. (The experts also point out that those with mental illness are more likely to be crime victims than perpetrators.)

Thompson also wrote about Charles Fiero. He was mentally ill and abusing alcohol in 1992 when he stole a construction vehicle, led police on a chase, seriously injured an Erie police officer and was shot in the face. Released from prison in 1994, he wants an early end to his probation, due to run until 2032. "I am 100 percent better," Fiero said in court on Wednesday. His case manager, probation officer and the Erie County District Attorney's Office agree with that assessment.

Fiero, 58, lives on his own, takes his medication and receives help from Stairways Behavioral Health. Fiero, who has received two awards for his recovery, serves as a example of the benefits of mental-health treatment.

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