Many thanks for your Aug. 22 editorial regarding persons with mental illness being overrepresented in jails. The estimate is that 20 percent of people jailed are actually suffering with a serious mental illness, here in Northwest Arkansas, in the state and nationwide. The situation has been growing over the past decades as funding for treatment of mental illness has diminished to the current trickle we see now.
Some states have decided to change the situation and have instituted extremely effective programs — dramatically reducing jail and prison costs, while drastically improving quality of life for persons who suffer from the disease, and their families who suffer without hope or resource.
Society is eager to treat a person with a physical illness — spare no expense regardless of age or problem. Mental illness is also a disease with physical cause. Stigma and ignorance have kept the prevalence and suffering of mental illness out of sight. The disease is ours just as surely as is diabetes or heart failure. Let’s stand up and take responsibility to reduce the suffering and waste of lives and dollars. Let’s treat rather than hide away people with severe physical illness of the mental kind.
NANCY KAHANAK
Fayetteville