Washington’s Dangerous Mentally Ill Offender Law: Program Costs and Developments / Washington State Institute for Public Policy, March 2007
PDF - http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/07-03-1901.pdf
David Lovell, Jim Mayfield
"In 1999, legislation was passed to better identify and provide additional mental health treatment for mentally ill offenders who were released from prison, who pose a threat to public safety, and agree to participate in the program. A “Dangerous Mentally Ill Offender” (DMIO) is defined by the legislation as a person with a mental disorder who has been determined to be dangerous to self or others. Through interagency collaboration and statefunded mental health treatment and support services, the legislation intends to promote the safe transition of these individuals to the community.
In 2005, as required by the DMIO legislation, the WSIPP completed the first evaluation of the program. The 2005 report demonstrated that the DMIO program significantly reduced recidivism after 1 1/2 years. This supplemental report focuses on three questions:
1) What is the actual cost of the program per participant?
2) What goods and services are purchased with program funds?
3) How has the program changed since its inception?"