‘We have to find a solution’: Questions raised about mental health and the justice system

A convicted sex offender was arrested for allegedly committing another crime. Lavern Scott was arrested last week, after police say he broke into a home and was found in a young child’s bedroom. KETV Investigates found Scott has a lengthy history within the justice system. Now, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said Scott’s case is just another example of the systematic issue of how mental health struggles are handled within the justice systemMental health and the justice systemLaw enforcement has responded to multiple incidents involving alleged suspects with mental health struggles in the past monthNational Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI, says nationwide, nearly 2 in 5 people who are incarcerated have a history of mental illnessDouglas County Sheriff says law enforcement alone is not the solutionDouglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson said the time for change is now. NAMI Nebraska provides education, advocacy and support for those impacted by mental illness, and their executive director said there’s a lot to be done to get the infrastructure on track. In the past month, within Douglas County, a 3-year-old boy was slashed in the face with a knife during an attempted kidnapping, a Douglas County Sheriff’s deputy was shot, a repeat sex offender was allegedly found in the bedroom of a 9-year-old boy after breaking into the home, and a 36-year-old man was accused of killing his father. ‘We have to find a solution’Hanson said all of those instances involved a suspect with a history of mental or behavioral health struggles. “We have to find a solution, and that solution is not going to be able to solved by law enforcement alone,” Hanson said. Hanson said it’s been a growing issue not only in Nebraska but nationwide. KETV Investigates learned people with mental health struggles are “overrepresented” in jails and prisons. By the numbersAccording to NAMI Nebraska:About 2 million times a year, people with serious mental illness are booked into jails2 in 5 people who are incarcerated have a history of mental illnessOnly 3 in 5 people with a history of mental illness receive mental health treatment while incarcerated in state and federal prisonsLess than half of people with a history of mental illness receive mental health treatment while held in local jailsExperts discuss how to address ‘systematic issue'”Unfortunately, jails and prisons have become America’s de facto mental health facilities, but they’re not built, financed, or structured to provide adequate mental health services,” James Michael Bowers, executive director of NAMI Nebraska, said. “Nebraska, we have a lack of, behavioral health providers for people to receive mental health treatment. This could be therapies, people that manage medications. And we have an issue of being able to have enough folks who are in those professions across our state and across our nation. Given health insurance and the lack of affordability, that provides another additional level.”How do experts think the issue can start to be addressed?”We need to be able to look at what services can be put in place to be able to make sure that people have access to care while they’re serving their time because that will help prevent recidivism later on,” Bowers said. Bowers said examining access to care and early intervention is also key. “What allows people to get access to care before a crisis happens, and what is the appropriate lowest level of care possible for individuals, because it’s easier to treat a condition before it turns into a crisis or before disaster happens,” Bowers said. Hanson said law enforcement alone isn’t the solution. He said it’s going to take collaboration from the local, state and federal levels to build and invest in infrastructure.”We’re not going to necessarily be able to arrest our way out of this problem,” Hanson said. “The challenge is, again, it’s going to be very difficult and expensive. It’s not just about building brick and mortar. You have to hire people. And to be able to staff, you have to hire mental health professionals to staff the brick and mortar, if we were to build it. There will be a cost to that. But what’s the cost of doing nothing? What’s the cost of status quo?”NAMI Nebraska said public policies should be centered around evidence-based research on the issue and “help people with mental illness get on the path of recovery.””Early intervention, comprehensive community health care, and a robust crisis response system are essential to reduce justice involvement,” Bowers said.To learn more about NAMI Nebraska, click here.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |