Jails and prisons not equipped to care for mentally ill

Editorial by Wilmington Star-News, September 26, 2014.

Unthinkable. Inhumane. How could this have happened? There should be no shortage of outrage over the revelation that a mentally ill prisoner in Alexander County died of thirst while in custody. The incident happened in March, but the autopsy was just released on Thursday. A much more thorough public accounting is in order.

Most of the custodians responsible for his care were fired or resigned, but the Department of Public Safety refused to provide the medical examiner with pertinent details such as when the man last had access to food and water and other information that could help determine whether his mental and physical disabilities contributed to his death.

That also leaves open the question of whether criminal charges may be warranted.

Michael Anthony Kerr was another tragic victim in what has become a familiar story. Our police forces, jails and prisons by default become the primary points of contact for people failed by an inadequate mental health system. These institutions are ill-equipped to provide the kind of care needed, and in many cases the crimes for which these people are incarcerated are the result of untreated mental conditions.

Kerr, 54, was serving a 31-year sentence as a habitual felon after a 2011 conviction of illegally possessing and discharging a firearm, according to The Associated Press. His record included a string of larceny convictions. His sister said she'd been pleading with prison officials to help her brother, who for unspecified disciplinary reasons was in solitary confinement in a room the inmates referred to as "The Hole."

He had "significant" mental and physical disabilities, according to correspondence between state agencies this past spring. Kerr was found dead in a van in March on the way to Central Prison's psychiatric unit.

Mentally ill inmates pose a danger to themselves and to others, and if they are housed in our prisons they must be monitored closely. It is inconceivable that no one noticed whether Kerr was getting food and water, or whether he was showing signs of dehydration. Did they just forget about him?

Public Safety Secretary Frank L. Perry promised a thorough investigation, yet has released no information. Even the state medical examiner wasn't given enough information to help her determine whether Kerr's death should be classified as an accident, natural causes or homicide. Gov. Pat McCrory should demand that the details be released.

While this death may be an extreme example of negligence, to say the least, our jails and prisons house many people who should be cared for by trained mental health professionals in a setting that emphasizes treatment rather than punishment. Locally we have seen many examples of what happens when community mental health services are lacking or unavailable; often law enforcement and our penal institutions end up charged with a job they are not equipped to do.

But it is unconscionable that any inmate in the state's care be allowed to die for a lack of water, a basic need.

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