INDIANAPOLIS — Leaders from across Indiana got together Friday for a massive event in downtown Indianapolis looking at the role mental illness plays in crimes and incarcerations.
According to the Family and Social Services Administration, about 16% of inmates have a serious diagnosed mental illness. More than half have a substance use disorder. When it comes to people who return to prison, that number jumps to 75%.
For about eight hours Friday, members of Indiana's criminal justice system got together to figure out what needs to change to better support Hoosiers in need. Each of the 92 counties in Indiana was represented at the conference, addressing failure when it comes to helping people with mental illness.
The bipartisan meeting looked at inadequate responses to mental health crises and gaps in local systems.
A main issue discussed is the failure to provide intervention and support programs for Hoosiers to keep them from becoming repeat offenders.
It is a problem Charmin Gabbard knows all too well.
"No one ever asked me why. No one ever asked me what happened to me. No one ever looked at me like I was human," Gabbard said. "I was just a convicted felon back in the system."
Gabbard said she was repeatedly incarcerated for low-level crimes without any support to break her cycle of addiction that drove her to crime. Eventually, she found help and started Connections Cafe, offering people a safe space in their recovery.
Gov. Eric Holcomb also spoke Friday, along with state lawmakers and Indiana Supreme Court justices, about issues within the current justice system and potential fixes in the community, the Statehouse and correctional facilities statewide.