Community services summit seeks to bridge gap between mental health and law enforcement

Jan. 16--WATERTOWN -- When Daniel G. Greene arrived at the Metro-Jefferson Public Safety Building, he was told he no longer would be able to take medication for his bipolar disorder because it wasn't approved for use in the jail.

Mr. Greene had just come from St. Lawrence County, where he landed after racking up multiple driving-while-intoxicated arrests. He had been prescribed the medication while in custody there and it was helping, he said.

Before all that, Mr. Greene was a mental health counselor with a master's degree, working with people who had substance abuse issues.

"Daniel is one of the smartest people I know," said Timothy J. Ruetten, coordinator of mental health services for the Jefferson County Department of Community Services. "We went to grad school together, we did projects together, but he's been impacted by what we're talking about here," Mr. Ruetten said.

Mr. Ruetten moderated a summit Friday at the Jefferson County Children's Home, bringing together representatives from the county's mental health and law enforcement agencies in an effort to better serve members of the community who come in contact with the criminal justice system by way of a behavioral disorder or disability.

"We are trying to make sure people who are suffering from mental health disorders or mental health disabilities get the help they need and are not sitting in our jails," Mr. Ruetten said.

Inmates with mental illnesses have a considerably higher rate of homelessness, history of abuse, substance-abuse disorders and unemployment, according to Mr. Ruetten. They also are more likely to spend more time in jail -- an average of 17 days more -- than inmates without mental disorders, even when charged with the same offenses. And they can be targeted by the other inmates because of their disorders, according to Mr. Greene.

On average, 21 percent of jail inmates have a recent history of mental illness compared with 6 percent of the general population, Mr. Ruetten said.

A major focus of the summit was trying to find a way for the county's mental health providers, including two new psychiatrists scheduled to arrived in Watertown in September, to interact and communicate with the county's law enforcement personnel, particularly at the county jail, which is under the jurisdiction of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff Colleen M. O'Neill, who made re-examining mental health services at jail a part of her 2014 election campaign, helped organize the summit, along with Jefferson County Community Services Director Roger J. Ambrose and Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa.

Ms. O'Neill said better communication between the county's medical and criminal justice teams was imperative to both reducing jail overcrowding and getting inmates the help they need.

"If we don't know what has been tried and what has worked and what hasn't worked, we can't medically bridge the gaps," Ms. O'Neill said. "That will be a priority of mine. People who need medical attention, drugs or counseling services, we will make sure those services are available to them."

To that end, John Adams, a representative from the state Department of Criminal Justice Services-Office of Probation and Correctional Alternatives, spoke about an initiative created to help counties map the overlaps between the criminal justice system and the behavioral health system.

DCJS received a $250,000 federal grant to partner with the state Office of Mental Health to help counties improve outcomes for people with mental illness by enhancing criminal justice and behavioral health collaboration in specific areas, according to Janine Kava, a DCJS spokeswoman.

Initially, the department worked with 10 counties to implement the program and has offered to make Jefferson County the 11th county, though it will require a financial commitment of approximately $17,000 from the county.

Jefferson County Board of Legislators Chairwoman Carolyn D. Fitzpatrick, R-Watertown, said she would take the proposal back to the board.

"One of the reasons we're here today is to find out how it's working in other counties," Mrs. Fitzpatrick said. "Prevention is better than intervention."

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