Living in the Shadows

In reviewing the hundreds of cases that I do, there seems to be a common denominator that can’t be ignore. Almost every case exhibits some form of mental illness or addiction. In many cases, this consists of individuals self-medicating with drugs or alcohol and not even knowing that they suffer from any type of illness. So this begs the question, do these individuals need treatment or punishment for their wrongdoings?

At a time when mass incarceration and mental illness are center stage issues in the political debates, I feel we need to continue to bring light to the statistics that govern such topic. When calculating the individuals who suffer from mental illness, Harris County Jail is the largest mental health institution in the state, with the Dallas County Jail as the second largest. Texas jails and prisons are basically mental health facilities and while individuals may have broken the law, should non-violent transgressors be provided with treatment rather continued punishment?

I sit on various support groups as well as non-profit boards and I am astonished by the continued lack of empathy stemmed from nothing else but ignorance on mental illness. What people don’t understand is how prevalent mental illness is in society and they are in denial that it exists in their own home or even themselves. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, over 25% of the population live with a mental illness and just 41 percent of adults in the U.S. with a mental health condition received treatment in the past year. Among adults with a “serious mental illness” such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, that number rose to 62.9 percent — so more than a third suffer without treatment. When will people understand that having a mental illness is no different than having diabetes. There is no cure for mental illness. Once diagnosed, it will require lifelong treatment and medication.

Unfortunately, the issue always comes back to the stigma. I have been told repeatedly by professionals and former colleagues of mine that they rather hire or be associated with someone with a criminal record than someone with a mental illness. And then you wonder why people with mental illness live in the shadows.

I was once told by a mental health expert that people with untreated mental illness end up in one of two places, jail or an early casket. My experience and education have only confirmed this. So what are we going to do about it? Texas lawmakers have unveiled a $300 million plan to revamp the state’s aging psychiatric hospitals and add some 300 psychiatric beds. 300 beds. Did I mention that Texas State Prisons currently house over 140,000 individuals?

I have always been a fan of being proactive rather than reactive and that is why I dedicate my time and efforts to what I do. We, as a society, must be proactive on this issue and it starts with being able to have a dialogue about mental illness. In our homes, our offices, our parishes, our schools, and so forth. Despite everything I have gone through, life has made me callous in so many ways. But one issue that breaks me down every time is mental health awareness as it pertains to children. No one asked to suffer from a mental illness, especially not children. Every time we mock it on television, in the gym, on the field, or even among candid conversations with each other, know that kids ARE listening.

So as I read all of these files of men and women in prison, I always ask myself the same questions. What were they like as kids? Who failed them? What if they had been properly diagnosed early in their lives and received the treatment, medication, and support they needed? What if they had been embraced and given a platform to share their problems and never felt like they had to live in the shadows?

Maybe then. and only then, their file wouldn’t be on my desk.