State ignores mental health care, increases prison and jail costs - penny-wise, pound-foolish

Treatment of the mentally ill is one of the most cost-effective strategies for society as it increases productivity of citizens (income taxes for government); reduces public assistance by preserving family unity as well as keeping the breadearner employed; reduces crime as much shoplifting, drug-addiction, domestic violence, theft, and other violent crimes and assaults are related to mental illness, as well as vastly reduces justice system expenses to the courts, prosecutors, public defenders, jail, prisons, parole agents, etc. There are more mentally ill persons being treated in jails and prisons than in all the mental health facilities in the country combined. 

It is far less expensive to society to treat mental illness including drug-addiction up front as an outpatient than at the back end with  payments to police, courts, prosecutors, public defenders, jails, prisons, parole agents, treatment for medical care caused by neglect, public aid for family members neglected by the mentally ill person, etc.  Would you rather pay $40,000 a year to incarcerate someone PLUS all the above collateral costs or $10,000 per year to provide excellent mental health care as an outpatient? The answer is simple: A BIG YES!  Our politicians are simply stupid.

This article says it all and provides links: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/does-cutting-mental-health-care-increase-the-prison-population/2011/06/02/AGzNdVHH_blog.html?wprss=ezra-klein