RESIST THE CRIMINALIZATION OF MENTAL ILLNESS
DECEMBER 12
FACT SHEET

Across the nation, there is a great need for publicly funded psychiatric services. Both the debilitating nature of psychiatric illnesses and the lack of adequate health insurance to cover this illness often thrust individuals into poverty. Unfortunately, here in San Francisco we have a system that is nowhere near meeting the need. The result: Individuals with mental illnesses unnecessarily end up in the hands of the police, and locked up in our jails and our hospitals.

Mental Illness in San Francisco
o Over 50% of those seeking mental health treatment last year never received it. (1999/2000, CMHS)
o Approximately 3,000 people go to SFGH Psychiatric Emergency Services for severe psychiatric crisis every year, who have not had previous contact with the mental health system. (Phyllis Harding, DPH)
o A large proportion of homeless people are veterans, and 35% of them are mentally ill. The Veteran’s Administration does not provide residential treatment services, nor outpatient therapy. (Swords to Plowshare, 2000)
o There are an estimated 2,000 - 2,700 individuals parents receiving CAL-Works (welfare for families) who are in need of mental health treatment. (SF DHS, 1999)
o Approximately 30 - 40% of homeless San Franciscans are mentally ill; this could be as many as 5,600 homeless people with mental illnesses (SF McKinney Application, fall, 2000)
o About 4,000 individuals who receive County Adult Assistance have mental illnesses (Dorothy Enisman, DHS, 2000)

Involuntary Commitment in San Francisco
o San Francisco has the highest 5150 rate in the state. 5150's are incidents of people being involuntarily detained for 72 hours for psychiatric evaluation. (Bill McConnell, Division of Mental Health, 1996)
o In 1997, there were 3694 separate incidents of 5150's. (Phyllis Harding, 3/98)
o Due to the involuntary nature of 5150's, the process is intrusive and counter therapeutic, and can result in someone who needs mental health services losing trust in the system. At the same time, it is a response that occurs only after an emergency takes place.
o The average cost for one person just to be seen by Psychiatric Emergency Services under a 5150 in San Francisco is $162 per hour, while outpatient treatment services cost approximately half that or $76 per hour. (Jo Ruffin, Division of Mental Health, 1996)
o Often people 5150'd to Psychiatric Emergency Services are literally discharged to the streets because no other option in either Social Services or Mental Health is available due to limited capacity. (Psychiatric Emergency Services 1994/5)
o Contrary to the state law that states people have a right to treatment in the least restrictive setting, 5150's present the most costly response to psychiatric illness in the most restrictive setting.

Mentally Ill People in San Francisco Jails
o Individuals with mental illnesses are more likely to be victims of violence, rather then perpetrators. Persons with psychiatric conditions are not more likely than others to commit violence. (MacArthur Risk Assessment, 8/99)
o One in four police calls are responses to individuals in psychiatric crisis, or individuals "acting with bizarre behavior". (SFPD, 2000)
o From 1/00-11/00, in the San Francisco jails, 9,907 unduplicated assessments for mental illnesses took place, and 5,198 resulted in admission into the system. (Jail Psychiatric Services, 12/2000)
o 11% of San Francisco's County Jail population have persistent and severe mental illnesses. Of those, 85% are homeless. (Jail Psychiatric Services, 12/2000)
o One quarter of arrestees booked in San Francisco were found to have contact with Mental Health Services. (1991, SF Prisoners as Multi-System Users, Research Project of Forensic Services, DPH)

HOUSING
o Approximately 30- 40% of homeless San Franciscans are psychiatrically disabled. These individuals are often shut out of the shelter system, comprising only 5 - 15% of the shelter population. (Polaris Study, 1993)
o Only 2% of San Francisco Mental Health system's clients can be housed in supported independent living. (Division of Mental Health Supported Housing Plan, 1995)
o Approximately 40% of the individuals seen by Psychiatric Emergency Services were homeless (Aline Wommack, Director, Psychiatric Emergency Services 94/5)
o Over half (650) of the beds in Board and Care facilities have been lost in the city since approximately 1984. (Jo Ruffin, Division of Mental Health, 1996)

THE NATIONAL PICTURE
o Just under a quarter of the population in the United States will experience an episode of mental illness in their lifetime. (Rogier, 1990)
o The nation's prisons and jails held and estimated 283,800 mentally ill inmates in 1998 (Associated Press, 6/99)
o Rates of homelessness was more then double among mentally ill inmates than others. (Associated Press, 6/99)

SOME OF THOSE WITH MENTAL ILLNESSES
WHO HAVE DIED AT THE HANDS OF SFPD

Data is not available on exactly how many people arrested, hurt, or killed by the police are homeless and/or mentally ill. We pulled some of the people who are known or thought to have mental illnesses or were in psychiatric crisis when they died at the hands of law enforcement from Stolen Lives (a book pulled together by the October 22nd Coalition).

Here are some of their stories:

Solano Sivano 47, Latino, Nov. 9, 1997, San Francisco
shot by police
Circumstances:
Police Shot and killed Mr. Sivano, who lived in a homeless encampment. Police claim he had fired a 20-gauge, double barreled sawed-off shotgun at them from the shadows of a Highway 101 on ramp. A SFPD officer allegedly asked him to drop the shotgun in English, which the Spanish-speaking Mr. Sivano may not have understood. There are reports that the gun was never found. Mr. Sivano had sought mental health treatment for paranoia at five different SF programs in one month just seven months before his death.

Hue Truong, 38, Vietnamese, Aug. 3, 1997
shot by police
Circumstances:
Hue, a homeless man, was shot in the chest and killed after allegedly pulling a knife out of a bag.

Mark Garcia, 41, Latino, Apr. 6, 1996
pepper-sprayed or maced by police
Circumstances:
Mark was robbed and standing in the middle of the street, calling for help and in need of medical attention. The police responded by pursuing him. He was beaten, pepper sprayed, and slammed to the ground, with a foot grinding into his back for 5 minutes. The ambulance called to the scene was diverted to a non-injury accident, and he was thrown into the back of the police van, hog tied and on his stomach. After emptying several cans of pepper spray into his eyes, Mark had a massive heart attack and died the next day.

David Boss, 42, June 14, 1995
shot by police
Circumstances:
Police said he had a knife and they shot to death. It turned out Mr. Boss had a steak knife.

Henry Quade, 56, White, Oct. 16, 1990
shot by police
Circumstances:
Called "a fat Howard Hughes" and a kind recluse man by those who knew him, Henry was gunned down by a SWAT team after he refused to allow a court-ordered Health Department inspection of his home.

www.sf-homeless-coalition.org