A Fayette County District Court judge says Kentucky needs to find better ways to deal with mentally ill people who run afoul of the law. Kim Wilkie discussed the issue last week before House and Senate members of the Kentucky General Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee.
He says it just doesn’t make sense to lock them up…
Wilkie says the mentally ill are better handled in drug courts or community-based treatment centers. He says it’s time to decriminalize mental illness.
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State Representative Robert Benvenuti says he understands the need for alternative sentences for mentally ill people who commit non-violent crimes. The Lexington Republican says individuals should not be jailed because they have an illness…But provisions in the law to ensure public safety must be maintained…
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Benvenuti says a social worker may not be able to motivate a mentally ill person to get treatment but a judge with a court order can.