NEAR FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) — Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony has called for action about what he described as a “crisis” unfolding behind jail walls involving inmates with mental illness.
The sheriff on Thursday sent a letter to the chief judge, state attorney, public defender and others. In it, he argues many of these inmates should not be held in the county’s jails in the first place.
Tony said too many of these inmates are locked up for too long, and it is costing taxpayers too much money.
“It’s progressively getting worse, and if we don’t do something now, we are going to continue — the Sheriff’s Office — to be the de facto mental health institute for a county of 2 million people,” he said.
In his letter, Tony wrote he aims “to highlight this crisis” and “to identify ways to reduce the length of stay for those in custody experiencing mental illness and/or to identify alternatives to incarceration.”
“These are societal, social issues that we’re going to have to tackle in this county, and we can’t just turn them into put them in handcuffs, out of sight, out of mind, and that’s what’s gonna happen,” said Tony.
Over the past few years, 7 Investigates has revealed a number of incidents behind bars involving inmates with mental health issues, including an inmate locked in solitary confinement who used a blade from a shaving razor to cut off his own penis.
In 2008, Tony said, Broward jails housed an average daily population of 5,315 inmates. Of those, 25% were receiving mental health services.
But now, the sheriff said, despite a lower daily inmate population of 3,533 inmates, 42% are receiving mental health services, a 68% increase.
“It’s staggering,” said Tony.
The sheriff stressed that a jail is not the proper place to treat those suffering with mental illness.
“We’re spending $117 million on keeping people in jail that probably shouldn’t be there,” he said. “This is not just a matter of what taxpayers are spending, but this is a moral and ethical dilemma that we are facing in our society.”
Broward County Public Defender Gordon Weekes has been critical of Tony’s handling of the jails. In a statement issued Thursday, he said he would like BSO to be more transparent, including releasing videos documenting alleged mistreatment.
Weekes’ full statement reads:
“I agree with Sheriff Tony on this point – we have far too many chronically mentally ill people deteriorating in our jails. I hope that his realization brings a greater level of sensitivity to those that have been neglected and denied access of medical care within those facilities.
I would also encourage the Broward Sheriff’s Office to embrace a heightened level of transparency within the jails and takes steps to timely release videos of alleged mistreatment and grant cell-side access to attorneys representing those struggling with mental illness in an attempt to aid in getting them the help they so desperately need.”
In a statement, Broward County State Attorney Harold Pryor said his office has partnered with judges and law enforcement agencies to improve mental health court, increase diversion programs and revamp the bond system.
Pryor’s full statement reads:
“I applaud Sheriff Tony wanting to assist me and our prosecutors in this endeavor of ensuring that we are more mindful of mental health in the criminal justice realm.
My team at the Broward State Attorney’s Office has been working long and hard on how we can improve the criminal justice system by considering those who are dealing with mental health challenges. Some of the measures we have taken in partnership with our local judges and our partners in law enforcement include improving our special mental health court in Broward and improving and increasing our mental health diversion programs to try to help people get treatment and help outside of the jail system.
We have also worked with judges and law enforcement to revamp our bond system in a well-thought-out manner that balances public safety and other concerns. I am always open to having further discussions and finding solutions for this important issue, as we continue leading this important discussion.”
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