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49 Crime & Delinquency 3 (2003)

handle is hein.journals/cadq49 and id is 1 raw text is: Foreword Janet Reno We have a tendency in this country to wait until a crisis occurs rather than taking steps to prevent it at far less cost both in human suffering and in dollars. As the articles in this special issue make clear, nowhere is this more true than inthe treatment of the mentally ill who too often end up in the crimi- nal justice system, homeless, or dead or injured because of the failure of the community to treat and manage their mental illness. While the articles in this issue focus on the treatment of mental illness pri- marily from the perspective of the criminal justice system, the authors offer great support for the need to develop comprehensive, community-based sys- tems for treating the mentally ill. So much more can be done to effectively address mental illness if professionals in all fields are trained to work together to solve problems utilizing a cross-disciplinary approach that coor- dinates and integrates the application of needed services. Mental illness must be identified as early as possible and comprehensive steps taken to fully and accurately assess the nature and cause of the illness and to provide a recommended course of treatment. Great care should be taken to utilize the perspectives and services of different disciplines includ- ing not only mental health professionals but others such as homeless advo- cates, substance abuse counselors, and financial planners in listening to and understanding the person and designing integrated programs to meet his or her needs. When mental illness is first identified, a case management system should focus on making the person as self-sufficient as possible, while providing 24- hour hot lines and outpatient consultation to deal with the first signs of impending crisis. A balance must be established that provides for continuity in understanding that patient's needs and what works and what does not work that does not at the same time perpetuate mistaken assessments. When the crisis has not been prevented and public safety is at issue, the police, courts, and other stakeholders in the criminal justice system, includ- ing victims groups, should be trained and prepared to work with case manag- ers and other professionals to do everything possible to keep the person out of the criminal justice system, consistent with public safety. Several of the arti- CRIME & DELINQUENCY, Vol. 49 No. 1, January 2003 3-5 DOI: 10.1177/0011128702239560 © 2003 Sage Publications 3

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