Inmate therapy program tackles mental health issues

Nicole Formosa of the Summit Daily News profiles a pair of mental health professionals, Storm Johnson and Susan Toys, who are volunteering to provide basic therapy at the Summit County Jail:

In 2005, more than half of all prison and jail inmates had a mental health problem, including 479,900 people locked in local jails, according to a Bureau of Justice report.

From what Johnson's seen, most often, people living with diseases like depression, bipolar disorder and post traumatic stress syndrome self-medicate with drugs and alcohol, then wind up behind bars because of DUIs, drug possession charges or violence-related crimes.

"There isn't anybody in our group who has not admitted to substance abuse - period," she said.

The inmates sober up while serving time, but fall back into the same habits upon release and usually end up with a new jail sentence."They go from 90 days to 180 days to 240 days," Johnson said. "They never seem to get out of the system once they're in it."

"It's a serious problem, and it's a serious problem everywhere because there aren't enough mental health resources," said Summit County Jail Capt. Dave Suter.

Without funding available, volunteer work is pretty much the only option to address the issue.

Johnson, who has 25 years experience in the therapy field and runs a private practice locally, started the pro bono mental health therapy support group in January with hopes to steer inmates toward a better track in life. Toys, a therapist who relocated to the county from Louisiana about 18 months ago, signed on in February.

The idea stemmed from Johnson's experience working with police on a similar program when she was living in Chicago. With the help of Colorado West Mental Health, Johnson wrote a proposal and presented it to Sheriff John Minor, who's spoken often about the need to get proper treatment for people suffering with mental illnesses and prevent them from landing in the jail.

The program includes referrals to low cost therapy options upon release.