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suffering from mental illnesses or drug and alcohol dependencies now
fill our jails, courts and hospitals. On any given day, the King County
Jail houses more mentally ill people than any other institution in the
state after Western State Hospital. The criminalization of mental illness
and the cycle of drug dependency are nationwide tragedies that deeply
impact King County.
This month the King County Council will hold its Town
Hall meeting in Shoreline to examine the innovative Mental
Illness & Drug Dependency Action Plan — a countywide
effort to shift the focus from incarcerating the mentally ill or chemically
dependent to providing treatment that keeps them out of the criminal
justice system and on the road to leading healthy, productive lives.
The goal of the Action Plan, introduced by Councilmember
Bob Ferguson, is
to protect the public by holding offenders accountable for their actions,
reduce the motivation for common crimes such as car theft and ID theft,
and restore the lives of those afflicted by disabling mental illness
and chemical dependency.
The Town Hall, which is a special meeting of the Council’s
Committee of the Whole,
will be held on:
Monday, June 25
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Shoreline Conference Center, Shoreline Room
18560 1st Ave. NE, Shoreline
The public is invited to meet face-to-face with King
County Councilmembers at an informal reception starting at 6:00
p.m. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.
“Our mentally ill should not be criminalized
or demoralized, but rather supported and rehabilitated. We have a
moral obligation to create opportunities so all people in King County
can thrive, especially those suffering from mental illness and drug
dependency,” said Councilmember Julia
Patterson, Chair of the Committee of the Whole and Chair of the
King County
Board of Health. “The Mental Illness and Drug Dependency
Action Plan is a humane and comprehensive approach to improving lives,
while better coordinating services with our criminal justice system.”
“My year directing an emergency services program
gave me an up-close look at the struggle people can have with mental
illness and drug addiction,” said Councilmember Bob Ferguson,
Chair of the Council’s Operating Budget, Fiscal Management and
Mental Health Committee, and host of the Town Hall. “This Town
Hall is an opportunity for the public and Councilmembers to understand
what it will take to get people into treatment and out of a jail cell.
This is an effort that crosses jurisdictions and must involve a partnership
between the public and government.”
The Town Hall will present Councilmembers and the
public with an overview of the
Mental Illness & Drug Dependency Action Plan. To date, the three-stage
plan has:
•
Investigated the kinds of service and housing improvements needed
to help the mentally ill and drug dependent get off the streets
and out of the system, and match them with organizations that can
provide the treatment they need.
•
Considered changes in the processing of criminal cases to more effectively
connect those with disabling mental illnesses and chemical dependency
with the appropriate services and housing options available in the
community.
The Council’s
Law, Justice and Human Services Committee staff will brief Councilmembers
on the final stage of the plan, which identifies what must be implemented
to ensure streamlined service for those who need help, and determine
what it will cost.
A panel representing the perspectives of clients,
providers, and the jail will include:
•
Two clients of mental health care providers
•
Amnon Shoenfeld, Director of the King
County Department of Community and Human Services Mental Health,
Chemical Abuse & Dependency Division;
•
Mark Bolton, Deputy Director, Department
of Adult & Juvenile Detention.
•
Shirley Havenga, CEO, Community
Psychiatric Clinics.
Audience members will have an opportunity to question presenters and
panelists.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Council will take public testimony
on any issue.
Town Hall Meetings are part of Councilmembers’
initiative to “get out of the courthouse” and into the
communities they serve. This year Town Halls have been held in West
Seattle, Renton, Redmond and the Olympic Sculpture Park on Seattle’s
waterfront. Each Town Hall is a special meeting of the Council’s
Committee of the Whole, the only standing committee on which all nine
members serve.
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