McKean County Prison is overcrowded, and Dennis Luther says many of the
inmates have mental health problems.

A growing state trend to de-institutionalize mental patients has pushed more
mentally ill people to end up in jail.

Luther says a county based task force is looking into ways to keep those
with mental health and mental retardation problems from winding up in the
penal system.
It's a financial move. Once a person is sentenced to jail, the county
becomes responsible for all medical and dental costs, even if the prisoner
was previously covered by Medicaid.
ON average, 215 dollars per person is forked over by the count on a monthly
basis...
37 percent of inmate pharmacy bills go towards psychotropic, or mood
altering drugs such as tranquilizers.
44 percent inmates are receiving psychotropics in McKean County.