HOUSE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY

January 29, 2003 Hearing Room 357

1:00 p.m. Tapes 19 - 20

MEMBERS PRESENT: Rep. Max Williams, Chair

Rep. Robert Ackerman, Vice-Chair

Rep. Gordon Anderson, Vice-Chair

Rep. Jeff Barker

Rep. Jerry Krummel

Rep. Greg Macpherson

Rep. Floyd Prozanski

Rep. Lane Shetterly

MEMBER EXCUSED: Rep. Bob Jenson

GUEST MEMBER: Rep. Steve March

STAFF PRESENT: Bill Taylor, Counsel

Ann Martin, Committee Assistant

MEASURE/ISSUES HEARD: Informational Meeting:

“People with Mental Illness in Our Criminal Justice System”

These minutes are in compliance with Senate and House Rules. Only text enclosed in quotation marks reports a speaker’s exact words. For complete contents, please refer to the tapes.

TAPE/#	Speaker	Comments
Tape 19, A
004	Chair Williams	Calls the meeting to order at 1:10 p.m.
015	Bill Taylor	Committee Counsel. Informs committee of presentation.
INFORMATIONAL MEETING—People with Mental Illness in Our Criminal Justice System
020	Daniel Souweine	Council of State Governments. Submits testimony, introduces panel and announces the presentation on mental illness and the criminal justice system (EXHIBITS A-C).
065	Fred Osher, M.D.	Director, Center of Behavioral Health, Justice & Public Policy. Discusses Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System.
258	Captain John Caceci	Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, New York. Submits testimony and talks about The Criminal Justice System and Mentally Ill Offenders (EXHIBIT D).
TAPE 20, A
002	Caceci	Continues his discussion on mentally ill offenders.
029	Osher	Explains lessons from the Mental Health Consensus Project.
090	David Wertheimer	Principal Consultant, Kelly Point Partners. Submits testimony and talks about measuring dollars and cents and the price tags related to the incarceration of people with severe and persistent mental illnesses (EXHIBIT E).
158	Chair Williams	Asks about the two studies and if they were long-term or short-term studies.
155	Osher	Replies that this was a 1-year study or short-term study.
182	Wertheimer	Continues his discussion on Cost Data Studies.
383	Osher	Comments on what the legislature can do about mental illness and the criminal justice system.
TAPE 19, B
010	Osher	Continues his discussion.
058	Wertheimer	Discusses silo busting in Washington State.
119	Rep. Prozanski	Asks about the pilot project in Washington.
126	Wertheimer	Responds that the initial pilot project was in King County, but now encompasses all Washington counties.
140	Rep. Prozanski	Wonders how the pilot project works with the counties.
145	Wertheimer	Explains how Washington’s mental health dollar allocations are based on regional support networks.
175	Chair Williams	Asks about housing and re-entry issues. Asks if the King County project was a controlled housing environment.
190	Wertheimer	Answers that initially it was a controlled environment.
204	Osher	Discusses predictors of recidivism and the importance of housing for people coming out of jails and prisons.
264	Rep. Shetterly	Comments on how prevention and transition of offenders back into the community is most cost effective. Asks about the McNeil Island project.
288	Wertheimer	Explains the Partnership for Community Safety pilot project.
TAPE 20, B
005	Caceci	Stresses the importance of community-based treatment programs and housing for mentally ill offenders.
052	Rep. Anderson	Mentions success of mentors at youth authority facilities in his area. Asks if there are any mentor programs for adult offenders.
064	Wertheimer	Says, yes, and discusses a program in King County.
081	Osher	Emphasizes that case managers are very important for coordinating service needs for mentally ill offenders returning to society.
096	Rep. Anderson	Asks about the importance of psychotropic drugs for these offenders.
103	Osher	Says that medication is very helpful to the seriously mentally ill offenders.
114	Souweine	Comments that there has been much success in peers assisting people with mental illnesses.
125	Wertheimer	Discusses a program in Connecticut.
141	Chair Williams	Mentions that access to antipsychotic medications usually requires access to a health care program.
143	Rep. March	Asks if there are any statutory changes to involuntary commitment that they would suggest.
154	Osher	Says that is an area where there isn’t consensus.
164	Rep. Prozanski	Talks about a pilot program in Lane County that prepares offenders for re-entering society.
181	Osher	Says that he has been connected with many providers in Oregon and that there have been many good programs in Oregon.
196	Rep. Shetterly	Asks if there is consensus on psychotropic drugs.
204	Osher	Answers that there is little debate on the effectiveness of these drugs, but that there is a breakdown in compliance issues.
219	Rep. Macpherson	Wonders about housing issues for the mentally ill offenders re-entering society.
235	Osher	Says that this issue has been understudied and explains.
263	Wertheimer	Comments on housing issues. Says that cluster housing for returning sex offenders reduces recidivism, but frightens the public.
300	Taylor	Discusses next week’s schedule.
383	Chair Williams	Adjourns the meeting at 2:55 p.m.

EXHIBIT SUMMARY

A – Informational, Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System, submitted by Daniel Souweine, 43 pgs.

B – Informational, Presenter biographies, submitted by Daniel Souweine, 2 pgs.

C – Informational, Booklet, Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project/Project Overview, submitted by Daniel Souweine, 9 pgs.

D – Informational, Written presentation on The Criminal Justice System and Mentally Ill Offenders, submitted by Captain John Caceci, dated January 29, 2003, 9 pgs.

E – Informational, Written material on People with Mental Illness in the Criminal Justice System: Fiscal Implications, submitted by David Wertheimer, 2 pgs.