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Resolution in Support of LD 151
Maine Sheriffs' Association
March 9, 2005
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An Act to Improve the Delivery of
Maine's Mental Health Services
WHEREAS, the Maine Sheriffs' Association has considered the adverse affect of
untreated mental illness on individuals with severe mental illnesses and their families,
and the general public, and the increased burden this places on Maine's county jails; and
WHEREAS, the most common reason that individuals who suffer from severe mental illnesses
are not being treated is because the illness affects their ability to recognize that they
are ill and they therefore refuse treatment; and
WHEREAS, noncompliance with treatment, specifically non-adherence to medication, is
strongly associated with increased risk of violence among people with severe mental
illnesses, and since 2000 there have been at least seven deaths in Maine resulting from
non-treatment; and
WHEREAS, non-adherence to medication is strongly associated with the risk of incarceration
among people with severe mental illnesses, and managing individuals with mental illness in
jails requires additional resources and attention; and
WHEREAS, the most significant barrier to treatment for the most severely mentally ill are
laws that prevent the treatment of individuals who refuse treatment until they pose a
danger to themselves, others or property, and laws that prevent a court from ordering
these individuals to take medication while living in the community; and
WHEREAS, the consequences of non-treatment are staggering, including increased risk of
arrests, incarceration, suicide, homelessness, worsening symptoms, victimization and
violence; and
WHEREAS, court-ordered treatment in the community for individuals who are in need of
treatment but refuse it (also known as assisted outpatient treatment) has been shown to
reduce the consequences of non-treatment; and
WHEREAS, Maine is one of only eight states that does not allow for assisted outpatient
treatment, a proven mechanism that mandates treatment in the community for individuals
whose severe mental illness causes them to be unable to maintain treatment voluntarily;
THERE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Maine Sheriffs' Association hereby supports enacting
Legislative Document 151, an assisted outpatient treatment law pending now before the
122nd Maine Legislature, that will allow for court-ordered treatment in the community for
individuals who are in need of treatment but refuse it because of their illness.
Maine Sheriffs' Association
Everett B.
Flannery, Jr., Sheriff
March 9, 2005
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file
RE: LD-151
Honorable Members of the Criminal Justice Committee:
In addition to
the resolution by the Maine Sheriffs' Association in support of LD-151, 1 would like to
give you an example of how this law would benefit the citizens of Maine.
You may recall an
incident in Waterville on 01/28/96 were a 37 year old man was arrested for going into the
Blessed Sacrament Chapel and stabbing to death a nun and critically wounding another. As
you can imagine the local community was terrified and the incident also brought in the
national media. Everyone wanted to know, "How could this have happened?"
The suspect had
had numerous dealings with local and county law enforcement prior to this horrific Murder.
Days prior to the Murder the suspect had stopped taking his medication and has happened in
his past dealings began to display irrational behavior. The suspect would refuse to take
his medication to a point where he would become a danger to himself or someone else and
would be taken into protective custody by law enforcement. On 0 1/28/96 he went to the
local chapel and committed the above acts of violence. This happened because he refused to
take his medication and even though his family and local law enforcement tried to help him
days before the 28th nothing could be done until it was too late!
LD- 151 is a bill
that the suspect his victims and the community could have benefited from. When this man
had shown his propensity to commit acts of violence before the 28th part of his court
order could have been "intensive community treatment" making him accountable for
not taking his medication, which would only serve to benefit the community, his family and
himself.
Please show your
support for this bill, which can truly provide tremendous benefits to all citizens of
Maine.
Respectfully
submitted,
Everett B.
Flannery, Jr., Sheriff
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