A govt. study confuses mental illness with alcoholism among prisoners in the wake of the Loughner-Gifford tragedy
“A 2007 study by the U.S. Justice Department found that 56% of state prisoners, 45% of federal prisoners, and 64% of local jail inmates suffer from mental illnesses.”
So reported E. Fuller Torrey in a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece titled, “A Predictable Tragedy in Arizona,” in the wake of the Jared Lee Loughner murder of six innocent people while serious wounding Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 11 others. Torrey wrote, “Ultimately, it is important to hold state officials responsible for not providing sufficient resources to treat those who suffer from serious mental illnesses.” That would be fine, E. Fuller Torrey, if that were the root of the problem. Unfortunately, depending on the study 50-90% of prisoners at all levels have alcohol or other-drug addictions, which happen to mimic serious mental illnesses. In fact, at least 70% of addicts with only three months of sobriety who were previously diagnosed as having a disorder can no longer be so diagnosed. If you’re going to solve the problem, you need to correctly identify it. The criminal justice system is in an excellent position to deal appropriately with addicts: forcibly keep them off drugs, which can be done via regular and random testing and a “sure” ride back to jail when tests are failed.
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