Mental health advocates say Scott’s executive order on prisons “long overdue”
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scott, rick - signing budget

Mental health advocates have reacted with cautious optimism to news that Gov. Rick Scott has ordered an independent analysis of the state’s prison system and the development of two prisons to test new ways of handling and housing prisoners with mental health issues.

“It’s long overdue,” said Denise Marzullo, president and CEO of Mental Health America of Northeast Florida.

“I’m happy that they’re looking into it. I just hope that they don’t just do a study, listen to a lot of people and then put that study on a shelf somewhere. That there really is action,” she said during an appearance on WJCT’s First Coast Connect.

Scott’s executive order also directs the Department of Corrections to work with the Departments of Children and Families and Juvenile Justice on finding ways to improve mental health services for inmates.

Marzullo sees the move as a welcome if belated acknowledgement that in most communities, the largest mental health facility is usually the jail.

“That trend began some time ago with the closing of state hospitals in the 1960s and ’70s,” she said. “The money that was supposed to go in its place to community-based care went away. And if people aren’t getting treatment for their mental illness, that leads to arrests, and prisons.”

“Jails aren’t designed as mental health facilities, but that’s what they’ve become. And now people are starting to realize, we’ve got to do something better than what we’ve been doing.”

Marzullo said she hopes the initiative not only brings in state agencies but also the expertise of mental health treatment providers.

Florida’s prison system is one of the nation’s largest and houses about 100,000 inmates. But it’s been under increased scrutiny after suspicious deaths and allegations of cover-ups. At the same time, Florida is one of the lowest-funded states in the nation when it comes to mental health services. Scott, Marzullo points out, vetoed several line items in the most recent budget dealing with mental health funding and treatment.

“The governor just vetoed $97,000 for Duval County to have processors working inside the jail helping mentally ill people apply for Social Security and disability income benefits. That would have been a huge preventative measure that was vetoed. So Rick Scott is saying he’s concerned about this, but a direct huge step that could have been taken, he vetoed,” she said.

Melissa Ross

In addition to her work writing for Florida Politics, Melissa Ross also hosts and produces WJCT’s First Coast Connect, the Jacksonville NPR/PBS station’s flagship local call-in public affairs radio program. The show has won four national awards from Public Radio News Directors Inc. (PRNDI). First Coast Connect was also recognized in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 as Best Local Radio Show by Folio Weekly’s “Best Of Jax” Readers Poll and Melissa has also been recognized as Folio Weekly’s Best Local Radio Personality. As executive producer of The 904: Shadow on the Sunshine State, Melissa and WJCT received an Emmy in the “Documentary” category at the 2011 Suncoast Emmy Awards. The 904 examined Jacksonville’s status as Florida’s murder capital. During her years in broadcast television, Melissa picked up three additional Emmys for news and feature reporting. Melissa came to WJCT in 2009 with 20 years of experience in broadcasting, including stints in Cincinnati, Chicago, Orlando and Jacksonville. Married with two children, Melissa is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism/Communications. She can be reached at [email protected].


One comment

  • Betzaida

    February 14, 2016 at 7:23 pm

    He needs to look into ineffective mental health treatments that contribute to criminal behavior given by jail docs who work also in the private sector . Big Hush Hush on this!

Comments are closed.


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