coneflowersWow and thank you Hennepin, Ramsey and Dakota County Sheriffs.  Sheriff Rich Stanek’s “we must make investments in early childhood education for Minnesota kids now to avoid paying far more for the cost of crime in the decades to come” took genuine political courage (thank you from Kids At Risk Action Sheriff Stanek).

In the Star Tribune article today I found it ironic that full implementation of the Governor’s Universal Pre School would cost almost as much as we spend on prisons in MN each year (the Sheriff is arguing that we will have fewer people to put in those prisons if we support Pre K education for children).

Sheriff’s Matt Bostrom, Tim Leslie, and Rich Stanek – KARA salutes you.

A special thank you to Rich Gehrman and the volunteers at Safe Passage For Children for all your efforts to bring quality policy to the children of MN at the State Legislature this year.

What follows is probably more than you want to know about the long debate from a law enforcement perspective about education, crime, mental health.  Please chime in.

  • A jail is no place for the mentally ill | Star Tribune

    www.startribune.com/opinion/…/180438691.html

    Star Tribune

    The largest mentalhealth facilities in the United States are not hospitals — theyArticle by: RICH STANEK; Updated: November 24, 2012 – 7:23 PM. hideinmates each day as they await the resolution of their criminal charges by the court.

    You visited this page on 4/22/15.
  • Left in limbo, hundreds of Minnesotans with mental illness …

    www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/222828641.html

    Star Tribune

    Sep 8, 2013 – Hundreds of inmates with dangerous psychiatric problems languish in county … severe psychiatric disorders, according to records reviewed by the Star Tribune. …. as criminals,” said a frustrated Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek. … The Star Tribune examined records for nearly 100 inmates who were  …

  • Even as crime falls, Minnesota jails are crowded | Star Tribune

    www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/293064771.html

    Star Tribune

    Feb 20, 2015 – For many people with mental disorders, jail becomes a kind ofHennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek estimates that 30 percent of the 37,000  …

  • Our criminal-justice system fails as one-size-fits-all | Star …

    www.startribune.com/opinion/…/297852491.html

    Star Tribune

    Article by: RICH STANEK; Updated: March 27, 2015 – 7:14 PMStar Tribune photo galleries … 2) redraw the lines between criminal conduct and addiction and/or mental illness, and 3) clearly identify the second responders in the system and  …

  • Mental illness gets too much room to grow | Star Tribune

    www.startribune.com/opinion/…/186547821.html

    Star Tribune

    Article by: RICH STANEK; Updated: January 14, 2013 – 8:43 PMare required to report all mentalhealth records to the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

  • Minnesota Judge Condemns System that Jails Mentally Ill …

    https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/…/minnesota-judge-c…

    Prison Legal News

    Nov 15, 2013 – Hennepin County Mental Health and Probate Court Presiding Judge JayAccording to a September 9, 2013 article in the Star Tribune, the Hennepinlabeled as criminals,” observed Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek.

  • NAMI | INVISIBLE CHILDREN

    www.invisiblechildren.org/tag/nami/

    Today’s Star Tribune article (“Criminalizing mental health,…, denied treatment,…This would cost us far less in crime and social disruption, and we would save  …