Oklahoma budget cuts undermine mental health care
Due to state budget cuts, Oklahomans with mental health problems face a shortage of bed space and health care. According to a study by the Department of Corrections in 2006, 11,739 out of 24,000 offenders have a mental health problem, and about 67-percent of these people will be re-incarcerated within six months of release if not treated properly. “What happens is that many of the people that aren’t getting treatment in our state have done something in the community that’s a danger to themselves or others and their only means of getting treatment is through the back of a police…