Pubdate: Tue, 03 Nov 2015 Source: Press Democrat, The (Santa Rosa, CA) Copyright: 2015 The Press Democrat Contact: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/348 Author: Sheilah French JAILING ADDICTS EDITOR: Reading the horrific details of the demise of Dara Gaunt in a Lake County jail ("Jail staff clear in SR woman's death," Thursday), I wondered when we are going to end the barbaric practice of throwing non-violent substance abusers in jail, leaving them to suffer the dangerous mental and physical effects of withdrawal alone and uncared for. Roughly half of the people who abuse drugs also suffer from at least one serious mental illness, and addiction itself is a hideous affliction no one consciously chooses. My 19-year-old son spent six months in jail for using illegal drugs. Like Gaunt, he wasn't charged with nor did he have any history of violence, theft or selling drugs. He endured jail in a state of extreme anxiety and depression for which he received virtually no medical attention. Four days after his release, he died of an accidental overdose. My son wrote, "My crimes are against myself. I know I need to get clean, but I hate to do it in a jail cell." Would he or Gaunt still be with us, contributing their talents to society, had they received compassionate and adequate medical care instead of rotting in jail? SHEILAH FRENCH Sebastopol - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom