"BACK TO BEDLAM" Fri. 3/12/99 9 p.m. on NBC

FRIDAY MARCH 12 9:00 NBC SPECIAL "BACK TO BEDLAM"Geraldo Rivera's "special report on the criminalization of the mentally ill"Far more mentally ill Americans * more than 300,000 * are in jails andprison on any given day than are in mental hospitals. Their crimes are oftenminor.Sadly, a large number are teenagers. The mentally ill increasingly do notreceive psychiatric treatment. As a result, they are sometimes incarceratedfor behavior that is out of their control.On Friday, March 12 (9 p.m., ET), NBC News presents *Back to Bedlam,* anhour-long special reported by Geraldo Rivera, that explores a disturbingtrend in America, the criminalization of the mentally ill.The special also reports on the increasing number of cases in which parentssurrender custody of their children in order to secure sufficient medical carefor them.NBC NEWS investigates what can happen when jails become a dumping ground forthe mentally ill. Rare footage of encounters between guards and mentally illinmates inside a jail in Nashville, TN reveals what can happen to the mentallyill behind bars. Sick inmates often do not follow simple orders or cannotunderstand them. They are often subjected to solitary confinement, pepperspray and restraint chairs * disciplinary methods that law enforcementofficials believe are necessary but that one expert says are *veryinappropriate* for the seriously mentally ill.Rivera goes inside Swanson Correctional Center for Youth in Monroe, LA whereteenagers with mental illness and criminal records find themselves living sideby side with violent criminals. NBC News obtained confidential investigativereportsreports say, treatment is rare, but violence is not. Rivera talks to Swanson*swarden who disputes the reports but acknowledges having terminatedapproximately 20 security officers *not necessarily just for abuse, butunnecessary force.*The special also reports on the increasing number of cases in which parentssurrender custody of their children in order to secure sufficient medical carefor them. Rivera speaks to a parent in Colorado who gives up custody of herson only to have him end up in a detention center even though he didn*t breakany laws. A veteran employee of Colorado*s juvenile system acknowledgesyoungsters with mental illness don*t belong in detention: *Thisis a terrible place to put a kid who is mentally ill.*The special examines how easily the lives of the mentally ill can unravelbecause of the difficulty in finding and paying for treatment. Terrifiedparents tell NBC News how they put their schizophrenic son on the street andeventually helped make him a felon in order to get him committed to a medicalhospital. Rivera also interviews Tipper Gore, an advisor to President Clintonon mental health issues and an outspoken advocate of community treatment, whoraises the question: *Can we honestly say that this is the best we can do forour most vulnerable citizens?*Geraldo Rivera examines how the de-institutionalization of the 1970*s when thelarge state mental hospitals were closed down * led to the current crisis.Rivera*s own award-winning report 27 years ago on Willowbrook, a New YorkState institution for mentally retarded, was an important milestone in thehistory of the movement for de-institutionalization. The special examines whythe mentally ill became so vulnerable to incarceration and homelessness, asdrug therapy didn*t turn into the success story the medical community expectedand community treatment didn*t materialize as promised.Fortunately, many successful models have emerged since de-institutionalization. Rivera visits the Green Door in Washington D.C., whichhelps the mentally ill find and keep jobs and live independently in thecommunity.*This special takes a hard look at how the mentally ill are being mistreatedin America. Geraldo Rivera understands the complexities of this issue and hisreporting sheds new light on an important national dialogue,* said NBC NewsPresident Andrew Lack.A complete list of resources and more information on NBC*s Back to Bedlam willbe available online.