Crisis center, other solutions considered for Kitsap mentally ill

Jan. 08--PORT ORCHARD -- A proposed crisis center, which would provide a jail alternative for mentally ill people suspected of committing crimes, is getting another chance, officials said Wednesday at a gathering of law enforcement and social service officials in Port Orchard.

Although the plan for a crisis triage center won't change much in price tag, the location being considered now is the Kitsap Recovery Center in East Bremerton.

The facility would cost about $2.5 million a year to operate, with about $910,000 for start up costs the first year.

Kitsap County commissioners passed on it, saying it was so expensive it would take most of the $3.3 million raised each year by the county's sales tax to pay for mental health services. That proposal would have placed the facility in the work release section of the jail in Port Orchard. However, officials believe this time they could bring in $1.5 million from state Medicaid dollars along with other sources, significantly reducing reliance on the mental health sales tax.

Islanders for Collaborative Policing, which hosted the meeting, said the facility should be the county's first priority by an "overwhelming consensus," said group founder Kim Hendrickson. A number of other solutions to the problem of mentally ill people winding up in the criminal justice system also were discussed.

The conundrum that vexed the group is that mentally ill people who take their medications are less likely to run afoul of the law, advocates said; but running afoul of the law is often what leads people who are resistant to treatment to take their medications. About 25 percent of jail inmates present signs of mental illness.

"It's the elephant in the room," said Kitsap Corrections Chief Ned Newlin.

And even in jail, the government must meet a high burden to force a person to take their medications, said Prosecutor Tina Robinson.

"There's not an easy answer to that," she said.

Despite that catch-22, Hendrickson said turnout for the meeting, representing virtually all sides of the justice and social services community, showed Kitsap was committed to finding solutions. In attendance were parents of mentally ill people, police chiefs, the county sheriff, prosecutor and human services officials, a judge and a representative of the ACLU.

"This is not the end of the conversation, this is the beginning," she said.

Among the ideas presented were legislation that would require new police officers statewide to complete 40 hours of crisis intervention training and an idea to create an advocate position for mentally ill people facing criminal charges. Newlin said the jail was going to look into new technologies that could help prevent jail suicides. A 35-year-old male inmate killed himself in the jail last week.

Plus, the jail mental health staff will increase this year, providing mental health practitioner coverage on weekends and increasing the number of days a psychiatrist is in the jail from one day to two days a week.

"We're here to take care of people," Newlin said of jail staff.

Doug Washburn, director of the county Department of Human Services, said a change in state law will require integration of chemical dependency and mental health treatment in 2016. The change could bring additional funding sources for a crisis response center, further reducing reliance on the local sales tax. The facility would have 16 beds, offer stays up to five days and serve about 2,300 people a year.

The measure to require 40 hours of crisis intervention training for all new officers, along with 8 hour training for other officers and refresher training each year, will be introduced to the Legislature soon. Bill Ostling, of Bainbridge, is behind the bill. Ostling's son, Douglas, who suffered from mental illness, was shot and killed during an encounter with Bainbridge police in 2010.

State Rep. Sherry Appleton, D-Poulsbo, will sponsor the bill. Appleton, who did not attend the meeting, said the Legislature set aside the money in 2013.

The proposal to hire an advocate is still developing, Hendrickson said, but the idea is to ensure that those with mental illness don't slip through the cracks.

The jail had two serious incidents last week involving mentally ill inmates. On Thursday, a mentally ill man already charged with second-degree assault attacked a fellow inmate who is in jail on a series of misdemeanor warrants. The next day, a 35-year-old inmate apparently killed himself. Four other people killed themselves in the jail since 2000.

The jail's inmate capacity is 433, with the number of inmates rising and falling. However, the average population in 2014 was 460.

Newlin said a goal of the jail in 2015 is to explore ways to keep inmates out of solitary confinement and to add services to those in individual cells, such as MP3 players loaded with self help books and soothing music. Often inmates are kept in solitary cells for the safety of themselves and others. The jail will also look into technologies such as ALIVELOCK, devices worn by inmates that monitor vital signs and movement and alert jail staff in case of a sudden change.

"We can't always have eyes on everyone," Newlin said.

One case mentioned during the meeting that has been followed closely by Bainbridge residents is Karen Hellmuth, 73, who was charged in October with felony assault on a police officer. She was found incompetent to stand trial and has been housed in an individual cell since her arrest. She has been awaiting a bed at Western State Hospital, which will administer medication that is expected to alleviate her symptoms and allow her to understand the charges against her and participate in her own defense.

However, the sentence for somebody without a criminal history for such an offense is 30 to 90 days, said her attorney, public defender Stephen Lewis. As of Wednesday she has been in jail 95 days.

Last year 23 inmates were sent to Western State for competency restoration, said Julie Weigand, who works for the jail's medical contractor, Correct Care Solutions, formerly Conmed. The average wait was 53 days.

Disability Rights Washington, along with the ACLU, is suing the state in federal court over the issue of long waits in county jails for bed space at the hospital.

Emily Cooper, a staff attorney with Disability Rights, said the group has had success in similar lawsuits, and noted that the state is aware that the long waits for Western State

"Everyone agrees that people waiting in jail doesn't serve anybody," Cooper said. Trial is scheduled for March 16.

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