On November 7, the House Judiciary Committee passed, by voice vote, a bill (H.R. 3992) to expand treatment of mentally ill inmates. Sponsored by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 2007 would authorize $75 million per year from FY2008 to 2013 for treatment of mentally ill inmates. The program’s current authorization (P.L. 108-414) provides $50 million per year from FY2006 to 2009. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security approved the bill on November 1 (see The Source, 11/2/07).
