{"id":2018,"date":"2012-11-30T17:29:11","date_gmt":"2012-12-01T00:29:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alcoholmonitoring.com\/blog\/?p=2018"},"modified":"2021-08-26T12:06:46","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T18:06:46","slug":"slipping-through-the-cracks-fox-news-oped-hits-on-mental-health-crime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scramsystems.com\/blog\/2012\/11\/slipping-through-the-cracks-fox-news-oped-hits-on-mental-health-crime\/","title":{"rendered":"Slipping Through the Cracks: Fox News Op\/Ed Hits on Mental Health, Crime"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier today, Fox\u00a0News Medical Team member Dr. Keith Ablow published an op\/ed piece on Foxnews.com\u00a0 <\/a>addressing the issue of what he calls “aggressive psychiatric intervention” for certain criminal offenders. Basing his article on the newest charges against actress\u00a0Lindsay Lohan, Ablow uses the troubled actress as a cautionary tale about what he sees as the classic signs of alcohol and substance abuse, co-occurring with psychiatric issues, that are driving repeat, dangerous, criminal choices.<\/p>\n

In his piece, Ablow offers that jail, treatment, or short-term stints of testing and\u00a0monitoring are not going to alter the path of an individual unwilling or unable to regain control. And he balances the needs for community safety, the safety of the offender, and even the burden of the taxpayer in his approach.<\/p>\n

Instead, Ablow says the program should be comprehensive, lasting for years and as much as a decade, in an effort to truly change behavior.<\/p>\n

While to some that might sound unreasonable, there is actually research that supports his contention. But what is notably absent in Ablow’s story is mention of\u00a0the nationwide network of Specialty Courts that base their dockets on a “psychiatric” approach, focusing on the mental health and addiction issues that are known to be the true core of repeat, criminal\u00a0 behavior.<\/p>\n

Ablow’s approach is spot on and proven, albeit generally\u00a0for shorter sentences than the 10 years he proposes for a Lohan-level repeat offender. So the question becomes:<\/p>\n

How can an individual, repeatedly in the system for drug and alcohol-fueled offenses of varying types and degrees and in multiple states, be in and out of courts, probation, jails, and treatment for years, yet never end up in a Drug, DUI, or Mental Health court?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The reasons are varied and common. First, Specialty Courts have limited docket space and thus strict criteria for acceptance. Oftentimes, other less intensive options such as standard probation\u00a0are a better alternative for less motivated offenders. Courts save the space for those truly motivated to change.<\/p>\n

It is entirely possible that other factors such as low impulse control, attention deficit disorders, depression, or co-occurring mental health issues also play a role with poly substance abuse. That means that proper, thorough assessment becomes a key determinant of what opportunities become available.<\/p>\n

Lastly, acceptance into a Specialty Court docket is generally a type of\u00a0privilege, and with that privilege comes tougher requirements, longer periods of supervision, higher expectations, and stricter and swifter consequences for violations. Not at the top of the list of wants for someone who struggles with substance abuse and, as Ablow says, “…demonstrates an inability or unwillingness to take control of his or her life… .”<\/p>\n

When offenders do get into such a program, the statistics, provided by the\u00a0National Association\u00a0of Drug Court Professionals<\/a>, support a powerful picture:<\/p>\n

Drug Courts Reduce Crime<\/h3>\n