Prison director wants mentally ill suspects diverted from jail
Prison officials and lawmakers say millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent incarcerating people who need mental health care instead. Prison officials and lawmakers are urging the state to divert mentally ill suspects from jail, citing Maui as a model for a different approach. The state has not replaced the Oahu Community Correctional Center due to belief that fewer people need to be held in custody. In 2019, Maui Community Correctional Centre was more than 30% overcrowded and this summer, its population was 86 beds below its operational capacity. Corrections and Rehabilitation Director Tommy Johnson believes that if the department did not have to house as many people with mental illness, the jail could be smaller and taxpayers would benefit. Johnson also advocates "deflecting" suspects into diversion programs before they are even brought to the jail, where they are often quickly released and often return several times.
Yayınlanan : 4 saat önce ile Daryl Huff içinde Politics Health
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Prison officials and lawmakers say millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent incarcerating people who need mental health care instead. They point to one example they say ... [4030 symbols]
