How a Jacksonville mental health program is keeping people arrested dozens of times out of jail & hospitals
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s all about breaking the cycle and keeping people out of jail and cutting down on homelessness in Jacksonville — and saving taxpayers money at the same time. And a team of mental health and legal professionals believe they’re on the right track with a program that identifies and treats repeat offenders with severe mental illness and substance abuse problems.Leaders of the Mental Health Offenders Program, or MHOP, say it costs $900 for each misdemeanor arrest in Duval County. They say that’s enough to put someone in housing for a month. This program targets people who’ve been arrested dozens of times, and organizers say, by keeping these offenders out of jail, it saves the taxpayers a lot of money.The News4JAX I-TEAM went along with a psychiatrist and social worke...