Mentally ill need treatment: police chief

Calgary's police chiefis proposing a so-called "safe jail" to handle people with mental illness issues separately and let the justice system focus on "real criminals" instead.

Rick Hanson said Thursday the force is working on several projects designed to steer people with mental health and addiction problems into treatment rather than send them to prison a place he said they do not belong.

And the creation within two years of a separate, secure facility for detox and treatment is a keypart of that strategy.

"We know that the mentally ill component that are doing time in jails and prisons today is way too high.And they ought not to be in prisons and in jails so we're really pushing hard for what we're calling a secure detox facility," said Hanson.

"It allows us to focus on the real criminals you know, the people, the predators who are out there who are committing the assaults, the sexual assaults, the robberies, the violent crimes."

Treatment over punishment for mentally ill

Aschizophrenic diagnosed at16 named Diana who did not want her last name revealed agreed there should be a new approach. She coped with her illness with street drugs and alcohol. That got her in trouble with police and landed her in jail.

"What I wish would have happened, that they would have taken me to the hospital to get help," she said. "I didn't know how to defend myself, I didn't know how to tell somebody that I need my medication.I don't have a little band that says I have schizophrenia."

Calgary police are already working at getting mentally ill people paired up with mental health professionals, according to Hanson. Four squad cars, eachwith an officer and a mental health worker, patrol city streets.

Hanson is also pushing for a special court systemspecializing inmental health cases.

"We want to develop a community diversion court we're talking about that with our partners in the justice system where the justice system is geared less to punishment and more to treatment for those who are suffering from drug addictions alcoholism and mental illness," he said. "Because if we don't do it, those numbers are going to increase astronomically on the street."

A similar program already exists in the city of New York, where Hanson plans to travel later this month.

"New York has probably got the best model that has an integrated approach to dealing with mentally ill people and addicted people that streams them away from the punitive nature of the justice system and into treatment programs," said Hanson.