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News
TIMES
UNION EDITORIAL
NOVEMBER 15, 1999
Fix the System
The death of an Albany County jail
inmate is another grim reminder of a
frayed safety net
Joseph A. Glazer, president of the Mental Health Association in New York state, does not exaggerate when he characterizes the system that failed Gregory Lee Richardson as one in which “no one ultimately takes responsibility.” No other conclusion can be drawn from the sad plight of Mr. Richardson, a prisoner at the Albany County jail whose last days were chronicled in a recent article by our reporter, Brendan Lyons.
In a way, there was nothing unusual about Gregory Lee Richardson. He belonged to a growing number of mentally distraught people who wind up in the judicial system instead of receiving community care. On June 10, Mr. Richardson, 42, of Brooklyn, led Albany police on a chase. He then became part of a system that seemed unable to provide the help he needed. Eighteen days later, he died in the Albany County Jail, after being strapped into his bunk and injected with a powerful tranquilizer.
Now authorities are trying to sort out what went wrong, and one agency is blaming another.
His medication was not an issue. His treatment was. An entry in a log maintained by the Albany police shows that a request to the Capital District Psychiatric Center to evaluate Mr. Richardson
was turned down June 10 with no explanation. CDPC blames the police
for not having him evaluated. A review by the state Commission of Correction
faults the Albany County jail for keeping shoddy records on Mr. Richardson
and for failing to promptly transfer him to a psychiatric facility.
A recommendation by a city judge that Mr. Richardson receive mental
screening never delivered to the jail’s mental health staff, the
commission found. Amental evaluation by jail psychiatrists languished
for nearly three weeks and was still pending when he died.
All this, however, fails to tell the full story. For one thing, as reported in our article, CDPC in one year turned down 45 of 60 requests for psychiatric evaluation of people in Albany police custody. The reason, frequently given to police, was that the center staff was too busy. CDPC employees have been complaining of chronic understaffing for years, and are planning to picket later this month. For another, the laws surrounding evaluations are open to interpretation, with no clear guidelines on what is required of jail or other personnel.
If there is blame to be placed, though, much of it must fall on the
shoulders of past governors
and state legislatures for failing to seal the cracks in the system
long ago. Their unwillingness to insist on an overhaul of the system
was more than just irresponsible. It was unconscionable.
126 State Street 4th Floor
Albany, NY 12207
phone: 518-364-2245
glazer@jaglazerlaw.com
