From the Editor - Prison Legal News

Like other prison systems throughout
the nation, Connecticut’s is
reaching peak capacity. In the midst of
dealing with overcrowding and parole
issues, the Connecticut Department of
Correction (CDOC) must also determine
how to handle a growing number of prisoners
with mental health issues.
To readers of PLN, the increasing
population of mentally ill offenders in
America’s prisons is nothing new. Even
prison guards recognize the difference
between treating mental illness and warehousing
mentally ill prisoners. “We’ve
become society’s mental health provider,”
said Steve Curran, a guard at CDOC’s
Garner Correctional Institution (GCI)
and Secretary of the American Federation
of State, County and Municipal Employees
Local 1565.
After becoming CDOC’s Commissioner,
Theresa C. Lantz designated GCI
as a facility to house mentally ill prisoners.
Currently about 450 of GCI’s 554
prisoners are classified as having mental
problems. Yet, Lantz has insisted that
she is “... not running a mental health
hospital.”
Curran observed that guards regard
mentally ill prisoners as prisoners first,
while the nurses “are treating them as
clients and patients.” Recognizing that
could pose a problem, Connecticut’s
2006 General Assembly passed a bill that
requires additional psychiatric training
for guards.
Most mentally ill people who land in
prison are there for minor offenses. “Everybody
calls the police when someone
becomes disruptive, and those people are
often mentally ill,” said state Rep. Patricia
Dillon. The co-chair of the legislature’s
Judiciary Committee, Rep. Michael P.
Lawlor, agreed.
As a former prosecutor, Lawlor acknowledged
that homeless citizens who
trespass, urinate in public or cause other
disturbances are often sent to prison.
“Because there seems to be no other options,
they end up being dumped in jail,”
he said.
Dillon and Lawlor are not alone
among legislators on this issue. “I question
whether we’re incarcerating the right people
for the right reasons,” stated Deputy
As Connecticut’s Prison Population Increases,
So Does the Number of Imprisoned Mentally Ill
by David M. Reutter
House Majority Leader Toni Walker.
The questions being raised by lawmakers
are largely a result of the drain
that mentally ill prisoners are placing
on the state’s budget. With the recent
release of a CDOC report that found 20
percent of the state’s prison population
was mentally ill, the expense of caring
for those prisoners has become a serious
fiscal issue.
The cost of providing medical care
for prisoners has increased 22 percent
in recent years. Consequently, the state’s
prison medical budget ballooned from
$77.4 million in 2003-04 to almost $100
million for 2007-08. CDOC’s population
has remained relatively stable over
that time period. According to Majority
Leader Walker, care for mentally ill prisoners
has significantly contributed to the
cost increase.
Because counselor-based treatment
of the mentally ill is more expensive than
pharmaceutical treatment, prison officials
prefer to administer psychotropic drugs.
Such drugs have the effect of making
mentally ill prisoners feel in a stupor, which
makes them more compliant; thus, guards
prefer this method of treatment, too. The
financial result is that CDOC’s most recent
$9.6 million increase in prisoner healthcare
costs comes in part from a 7 percent rise in
spending for pharmaceuticals.
What to do with or about the mentally
ill has become a major issue due to
a September 24, 2007 temporary ban on
parole for prisoners convicted of violent
offences, which has put a squeeze on
the prison population. That squeeze has
about 300 CDOC prisoners sleeping on
beds in gym areas because there are not
enough cells.
The parole restrictions were enacted
by Gov. M. Jodi Rell following two violent
incidents involving parolees. The first occurred
when two parolees were arrested for
a July 23, 2007 home invasion and triple
murder in Cheshire. The second was when
another parolee was shot and wounded by
New York police as he exited a vehicle he
had carjacked at knife point.
“We will ensure that violent offenders
who pose a risk to society stay behind bars
while continuing to help nonviolent offenders
make the most effective transition
possible back to society,” said Governor
Rell.
Some legislators disagreed. They felt
that releasing certain nonviolent prisoners,
such as drug addicts, would be freeing
the ones who were more likely to reoffend.
“You are potentially creating a lot more
problems here,” said Rep. Lawlor.
Under Connecticut law, prisoners
who commit violent crimes must complete
85 percent of their sentences, while
nonviolent offenders need only complete
about half of their prison terms before
they can obtain parole. Despite having
already served longer sentences, Gov. Rell
ordered state officials to review the files
of 600 to 800 violent offenders who are
currently on parole.
“If we identify anyone in this review
who has failed to follow the terms of their
release – or if anyone currently on parole
fails to do so in the future – we will revoke
their parole and return them to prison to
serve the balance of their sentence,” she
said.
The CDOC’s population has increased
from 18,869 prisoners in July
2007 to 19,655 since the ban on parole for
violent offenders was implemented last
September. The state’s prison system is
only designed to hold about 17,600. The
overcrowding and inherent increase in
the prison population that will result due
to the parole restrictions has lawmakers
concerned.
“It’s pretty clear the governor did not
do a lot of checking before she announced
her policy,” Lawlor said. “It’s not clear
exactly what their plan is to keep a lid on
the [prison] population.”
Governor Rell declined an invitation
to testify before the legislature to detail
her plans. CDOC Commissioner Theresa
C. Lantz appeared in her stead. Prior
to Gov. Rell’s new parole policy, Lantz
had said the prison system was “full.”
Yet she claimed there was no maximum
population, as the system could adjust
to increases without more money, a new
prison or added resources.
“Is there ever a limit as to how many
prisoners you can fit into a building?”
asked Rep. Gerald Fox, vice chairman of
the House Judiciary Committee.
“As of right now, we have enough bed
April 2008
20
Prison Legal News