the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jan 9, 2017
Republicans in the Michigan House have the nerve to raise concerns about the amount of money that will be spent for mentally ill inmates.
They are right that there are huge numbers of mentally ill people in prison and jail. There has been a 14 percent increase since 2012 in the number of mentally ill inmates in prison, so that today, 23 percent of all prisoners in Michigan have a mental illness. In the county jails, it’s even worse: up to 64 per cent have a mental illness, according to Governor Snyder’s office.
But these politicians are the ones who created the problem! Republican Governor Engler eliminated all the facilities for mentally ill people years ago. Under Democrat Granholm and Republican Snyder, funding for mental health services has continued to get cut further and further, so that huge numbers of people do not get the treatments they need and instead cycle in and out of the criminal justice system.
These disgusting politicians have nothing to offer society’s most vulnerable, mentally ill people except the brutality of prison and jail. And all they can think to complain about is the cost!