Roughly 17 percent of all inmates in jails and prisons nationwide have a mental illness. They have longer stays in jails and can cost much more than others to house. The Asheville Citizen-Times praises Buncombe County’s crisis intervention team as a way to avoid some of the confrontations with police that lead to jail time instead of needed treatment. Statewide, these teams do not get enough recognition, so it is good to see an editorial supporting them.
The Citizen-Times is also right that crisis teams are just a step in the mental health reforms the state needs. Fortunately, the legislature took another step when it gave the go-ahead for local mental health agencies across the state to adopt a model that has been successful in the Piedmont.
