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Preserve county funding for Mental Health Court

The budget for the next fiscal year is being debated. With current economic constraints, there have been proposals to do away with the mental health courts in Guilford County.

Individuals diagnosed with a mental illness and charged with criminal conduct are treated with understanding and respect so their lives and the lives of their families can be restored. The screening process for anyone admitted to the court is very rigorous.

Once admitted, the individuals are closely monitored. Biweekly, each is drug-tested and must appear in court to discuss events of the previous two weeks. Depending on conduct during that time, they receive either praise or sanctions. Arrest warrants are issued for anyone who fails to appear.

Examples of how the Mental Health Court staff helps individuals include finding employment, enrolling in drug and alcohol abuse programs and applying for Social Security benefits.
It’s a tough program, which has been shown to reduce recidivism and costs less than incarceration.

The Guilford County residents who signed this letter support the funding of the Guilford County Mental Health Courts.

Michael Key
Nancy K. Key
High Point

Virginia Stepko, Marge Burnside, Suzanne Raymond, Jerry Fergusson, Ernest E. White, Mark Hicks, Pat Fergusson, Jonathan Stainback Donna Bebout, John W. Miller, J. Eric Tucker, Georgia Parsons, Trudy Luman, Christie Ross, Donna Carver and Joanne Oates also signed this letter.

Comments (3)

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Molene Gunch [TypeKey Profile Page] said:

McMurphy: She was fifteen years old, going on thirty-five, Doc, and she told me she was eighteen, she was very willing, I practically had to take to sewing my pants shut. Between you and me, uh, she might have been fifteen, but when you get that little red beaver right up there in front of you, I don't think it's crazy at all and I don't think you do either. No man alive could resist that, and that's why I got into jail to begin with. And now they're telling me I'm crazy over here because I don't sit there like a goddamn vegetable. Don't make a bit of sense to me. If that's what being crazy is, then I'm senseless, out of it, gone-down-the-road, wacko. But no more, no less, that's it.

{top THAT Neo :) }

neocon [TypeKey Profile Page] said:

@^%$##@%%&%$##@!!!

Molene Gunch [TypeKey Profile Page] said:

I love you man.

Due to recent automated spamming attacks on our blogs, we are temporarily requiring commenters to authenticate themselves via TypeKey® before posting comments to any News & Record blog in order to prevent denials of service. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

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