State Establishes Parole Unit For Mentally Ill Offenders

STAMFORD (AP) — The state is establishing a parole unit for mentally ill offenders to enable more to be granted parole and enter other early release programs.

The unit, which will start with five parole officers statewide, will begin work early next year, officials said. Ex-offenders will be required to keep doctor’s appointments, take their medications and ease back into their communities, said Randy Braren, director of parole and community services for the state Department of Correction.

The state’s parole board will be more likely to grant parole to the mentally ill knowing a support system is in place, he said. The board has previously been cautious in granting parole to the mentally ill.

“No one is ineligible for parole because of any mental illness,” Braren said. “But in many cases, the board will not release them until the end of their sentence.”

Those with mental illnesses that are serious enough to require inpatient hospitalization would rarely be granted parole, Braren said. The new unit will deal mostly with offenders whose problems can be controlled with medication and monitoring, he said.

The unit is part of a larger emphasis on prisoner reentry to society. The state is putting more money and resources into preparing offenders for release and ensuring they succeed after they have been released, said Brian Garnett, spokesman for the state Department of Correction.

Nearly 20 percent of inmates in state correctional facilities have a serious mental illness, Garnett said. The state houses most, about 600 prisoners, in Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown where they receive psychiatric and other treatment in preparation for their release, Garnett said.