Benton sheriff candidates call proposed mental health unit a good start
Tri-City HeraldApr 02, 2017
Interim Sheriff
Hatcher, an architect of the mental health unit plan, is impatient to break ground. "Tomorrow would be great for me," he said.
Lattin and Brockman also have strong views on the subject and experiences at the intersection of mental health and law enforcement.
Lattin said a mental health unit would be a good start, but he predicts law enforcement agencies such as his own will quickly swamp the system with people.
When
If the professionals agree the individual should be held for evaluation, the officer and prisoner/patient wait for a secured bed at an institution such as
That can take 10 to 12 hours, Lattin said. And if the prisoner becomes disruptive and assaults the officer or hospital staff, they're taken immediately to jail.
"Twenty four beds won't be enough. Everyone is going to want to tap into those beds," he predicted.
Brockman couldn't be reached for an interview for this story. However, he has said that he decided to seek appointment to the sheriff's post to improve mental health care for inmates.
He favors a separate, secure facility operated in partnership with a health care organization to provide treatment.
"The jail isn't set up to properly house them, and the sheriff's office shouldn't be treating mental illness," he told the Herald in March.
The
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