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(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates/Conflicts with/Companion to/Relates to

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Corrections Department, Department of Public Safety, Public Defender Department

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 243 appropriates 1,750.0 to the Department of Health from the general fund to provide directly or contract for statewide programs for the mentally ill, including crisis intervention training for law enforcement personnel, jail diversion programs crisis stabilization hospital beds, supervised housing, and respite facilities and rent subsidies for independent living. The bill also appropriates 250.0 from the general fund for the Public Defender Department to provide additional services statewide to assist mentally ill persons to avoid unnecessary and inappropriate incarceration.

Significant Issues

Appropriate training of all individuals working with mentally ill clients will greatly help in assuring proper treatment and appropriate care. If all professionals associated with the treatment of the mentally ill were properly trained, there is a good possibility that inappropriate incarceration of these individuals would be reduced.

The Public Defender Mental Health Division presently has only one social worker to cover the entire state and receives over 1100 referrals annually. Appropriation of these monies would increase the number of professionals who are trained to provide the best care of the mentally ill.

Services for the mentally ill will be provided through a regional approach in the future with large umbrella agencies handling contracts for services in the five regions of the state. The interaction between these large agencies and the criminal justice system to improve the care of the mentally ill must occur if the state is to improve the care of this segment of the mentally ill population.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The Department of Health has an elaborate system of financial control and will be able to contract for services with resources already allocated.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

Administration of these monies is within the budgeted capacity of the Department of Health. The analysis by the Public Defenders Office reports that the administration of these monies will be done with existing administrative staff.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

1. How was the appropriation amount determined?

MB/njw