Officials to discuss mentally ill offenders in the state's jails

Sunday, October 30th 2005, 6:02 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Mental health and criminal justice officials will meet next month to discuss decreasing the number of mentally ill, nonviolent offenders in state jails and prisons.

The Emergency Summit on Mental Illness, Substance Abuse and Criminal Justice will be hosted on November 10th in Oklahoma City.

According to estimates from the state Corrections Department, 72 percent of women and 32 percent of men in the prison system are mentally ill.

Of those, about 57 percent were imprisoned for nonviolent offenses.

Other topics will include funding issues, educating the public about mental illness and determining who would be eligible for alternative programs.