In a news conference outside the jail Tuesday morning, Sheriff Dion and advocates for those with mental illness called the cuts catastrophic and irresponsible. They say community based programs will be the hardest hit, and those are the frontline programs that help keep people with mental illness out of jail."The corrections system teeters on collapse. If you push this issue onto us, it will destruct. We're going to pay for this issue whether we pay for it in a corrections budget or we put it where it should go, which is in treatment," said Sheriff Dion.A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human services says the proposed budget does not cut funding, it attempts to manage growth and skyrocketing expenditures. The DHHS says in 2002, it spent $230 million for mental health services under Maine Care, and that number will balloon to $500 million if expenses aren't curbed.
Cumberland County Sheriff, Mental Health Advocates Decry Proposed Cuts
Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion says proposed cuts in the state's mental health budget will put more people behind bars who shouldn't be there.
