SEATTLE - It's hard to tell which scars run deeper for Maritza Dowe. She carries both emotional and physical pain from an attack that left her blind more than 5 years ago.
“I don’t feel secure,” she said.
Dowe was stabbed by Marilyn Walker, a schizophrenic with a history of violent behavior. Before the attack, Walker was in Western State Hospital. She's there again, but could soon be released.
Dowe says she believes there are others like Walker, people who need treatment who are not getting it.
“I'm so afraid, I feel so unsafe because I know there is a lot of mentally ill people out there,” she said.
Dowe's fears may be justified. King County's chief deputy says they've seen a big jump in confrontations with mentally ill people.
"Law enforcement's being put in a difficult position when it comes to trying to deal with what is a health care issue,” said Steve Strachan.
Strachan recently shared a surprising statistic with lawmakers: the King County Jail has become the largest facility housing mentally ill people in the entire state.
"The criminal justice system is not equipped to deal with serious mental illness although often times that is where seriously mentally ill people go,” he said.
King County has added new training for deputies to address these increasingly violent confrontations with the mentally ill.
Martiza Dowe is focused on keeping her attacker in a mental facility and trying to regain her security.
"I have to live with the fear, I fear for my family,” she said.
Strachan says in most cases, it costs less to house the mentally ill in psychiatric facilities than in correctional facilities.
To add a comment, please register or login.