On March 23, an Enquirer editorial called for support of legislation by Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, and Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Ohio, that would provide federal grants to improve the way the mentally ill are handled in the justice system.

Both bills are awaiting House action. The House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on crime held a hearing on the Senate bill in June.

We encourage Congress to pass the legislation into law as soon as possible. For every 100 inmates in our nation's prisons, 16 have a mental illness, yet prisons are not equipped to handle a problem of this magnitude. As we have said before, failure to treat mentally ill inmates, or see that they can continue treatment once they are released, only increases their threat to society when they get out of prison.

DeWine and Strickland's proposals would reward state and local governments that develop creative ways to treat mentally ill offenders, by using mental health courts and post-incarceration programs.

They would provide $200 million in grant money through 2005, and more as needed for 2006 through 2008. State and local governments could apply for as much as $75,000 to plan a program, and a second grant with money for up to five years could be issued to implement a program with a goal of self-sufficiency.

State and local governments would have to collaborate with a criminal justice agency or a juvenile justice agency and a mental health agency to be eligible for a grant.

Studies support getting help for mentally ill inmates, both in adult and juvenile prisons. Last year, the advocacy group Human Rights Watch said prison staff "often punish mentally ill offenders for symptoms of their illness - such as being noisy or refusing orders. ... Mentally ill prisoners are more likely than others to end up housed in especially harsh conditions," it said.

The Office of Juvenile Delinquency Prevention says 20 percent of youth in the juvenile justice system have serious mental problems, and a significant number of mental health and substance abuse disorders. They are the ones who often end up populating adult prisons.

Again, Congress should act on these sound proposals as soon as possible.

Periodically, the Enquirer will follow up on an issue that has been discussed on the editorial page. If you know of any issues previously addressed on these pages that you would like an update on, let us know and we'll check it out. Send ideas to Ray Cooklis at rcooklis@enquirer.com; phone (513) 768-8525.