When America gets serious about eliminating our problems with overcrowded prisons, overburdened court calendars, and reducing the tax burden associated with criminal justice, prisons across the nation should release non-violent inmates who have served a year or more of their sentences, except major drug dealers, and eliminate three-strikes laws and mandatory sentencing laws that restrict judges' right to exercise discretion when sentencing offenders. 

 

Did you know that 2/3 of inmates are incarcerated for non-violent crimes and about  1/2 of inmates have mental problems?

                                                          

Prisons should definitely release all mental patients, but substitute hospitalization for acute mental patients who are incarcerated for violent crimes, using THE SAME TAX MONEY.  In fact, less money would be needed.

Non-violent mental patients who were arrested for offenses arising out of their illness - such as vagrancy, disturbing the peace, etc. - should be released from prison and THE SAME TAX MONEY should be used to provide mentally ill Americans with subsistence assistance and court-ordered treatment (enforced) in their communities. 

THIS VIDEO  DEPICTS MENTALLY ILL AMERICANS, HOMELESS AND IMPRISONED, INCLUDING MANY OF OUR VETERANS SUFFERING FROM PTSD AND BRAIN INJURIES:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzim_Atdo1c

Be cognizant that it has been proved over and over - usually after disasters - that many acute mental patients suffer from anosognosia, a condition that makes them resist treatment when given a choice simply because many acute mental patients do not recognize they are sick.  Eliminate that choice for mental patients exiting prisons on parole and probation to save lives and money. Reduce re-arrests by 87%.

                                                          

Consider the information above about Kendra's Law detailing the effectiveness of outpatient treatment coupled with subsistence provisions for mentally ill offenders.  THE DOCUMENTED EFFECTIVENESS OF KENDRA'S LAW IS PROOF that America does not have to imprison 1.25 million mental patients, and neither do we have to have a high rate of homelessness.

HOW MUCH TAX MONEY WOULD AMERICA SAVE BY IMPLEMENTING THESE CHANGES?

HOW MANY LIVES WOULD BE SAVED?

Kendra's Law is an effective and less expensive alternative to imprisoning our most vulnerable citizens.  Let us immediately stop punishing Americans for being sick. 

It is not good government to ignore a proved alternative to the suffering and death of mentally ill people that would also reduce expenses to taxpayers and reduce danger to mental patients' families and communities.  In fact, it is sinful.  Perhaps our legislators don't know about Kendra's Law and its effectiveness.  Here is a link to notify your representatives that you would like to see Kendra's Law applied across the country:  http://www.house.gov/writerep

Eliminate tragedies like this:

Murder for Christmas:  Arizona Schizophrenic Man Bludgeoned Youngsters
http://my.nowpublic.com/health/murder-christmas-az-schizophrenic-man-bludgeoned-youngsters 

and this:

Taser-related Death of [Untreated] Mental Patient Leads NY Police Officer to Choose Suicide
http://my.nowpublic.com/health/suicide-taser-death-mental-patient-leads-ny-police-officer-choose-death

 

and this:

More Hate Crimes - Cruelty to Mentally Disabled Persons:  Homeless Mentally Ill Man Burned to Death
http://my.nowpublic.com/health/suicide-taser-death-mental-patient-leads-ny-police-officer-choose-death

We have an alternative to such suffering and human rights abuses.  Let us please apply Kendra's Law across the country, starting with mentally ill offenders exiting prisons and jails. If America does so, we might not be greeted with headlines like this:

Woman [Released from Jail] Who Burned Her Mother to Death Had Mental Problems
http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=126757&catid=40

Seung-Hui Cho's parents had him in psychiatric treatment, but he suffered from anosognosia, and after age 17, he was allowed to opt out of further treatment. Here is the result: 

Virginia Tech Massacre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_massacre