As I See It
Jail no place for the mentally ill
Sheriff Steve Helgeson is right. He runs the largest psychiatric facility in the county. That facility is the La Crosse County jail, where an increasing number of prisoners are battling mental illness. Helgeson says they book about 6000 people into the jail each year, and about 40% of those inmates indicate they have a mental illness. Many are the same people, arrested over and over, never getting the treatment they need. La Crosse county has taken steps to deal with the problem, hiring a full-time mental health director, a full-time therapist, and 24 hour nursing care all to help those inmates with mental health issues. That is a significant investment by the county, but only helps those people after they are arrested. Helgeson argues that someplace other than the jail would be a better place for the mentally ill who commit crimes. But it seems that some psychiatric units in our area have closed. One inmate in the La Crosse jail has to be kept in his cell nearly 24 hours a day because of his mental issues. Treatment is available at the state mental health facility in Mendota, but that prisoner is number 70 on the waiting list to be treated. Clearly, the system isn’t working. It will take help from more than just the county level to really address the problem. But it is good that La Crosse is at least starting the conversation.