PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Two random attacks on innocent people in downtown Pittsburgh in June have sparked national fears and concerns that our criminal justice system is broken.
The suspects in these attacks are known to police, who say they are homeless and struggle with addiction, mental illness or both. They have been arrested multiple times but rarely go to jail or get the help they need.
Last week, police arrested Jameel Huff for the random attack on 73-year-old Jan Levinson, who fell to the sidewalk and hit her head on the concrete. When pressed for an explanation, Huff told police he believed Levinson was a pedophile. When asked why, Huff replied, “I heard it in my heart.”
But this isn’t Huff’s first encounter with police: Court records show he’s been arrested nine times in the past five years on a variety of charges, including disturbing the peace, harassment, drug possession and theft.
But in both cases, he was only given probation, and there’s no record of him being referred for treatment despite evidence of mental and behavioral problems. Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt says the system is failing to protect the public and provide people like Huff with the help they need.
“It’s a frustrating story for our social work team,” Schmidt said. “It’s a frustrating story for me. It’s a frustrating story for all of us because they see these people all the time. They know they need help. We know they don’t need criminal justice. But they also know that if they don’t get help, they’re going to end up in the criminal justice system.”
While mental health experts say people with mental illnesses are no more prone to violence than the general population, Camila Alarcón Cielecki of the city’s Neighborhood Health and Safety Agency said some repeat offenders continue to be sent back out onto the streets without treatment, where their condition worsens and they often turn to violence.
“The reason they become violent is because they’re not getting treatment,” Alarcón Cerecki said. “Their needs are not being met. People who are seriously ill should not be out there without any services.”
In early June, police arrested Shrontaya Festa for the brutal attack on 18-year-old Sophia Mansingh. When asked why, Festa told police he believed Mansingh was stalking him.
Police say Festa, like Huff, has a history of mental and behavioral issues and has been arrested previously for disorderly conduct, fighting and harassment, but rather than receiving treatment, Festa was repeatedly placed on probation while his crimes got worse.
“A lot of the people we see, we see them over and over again,” Schmidt said, “when they’re having these minor incidents, we have the opportunity to provide them with the support they need.”
But the system often sends criminals back onto the streets, where they return to crime again. In the past two years, police have arrested Arnez Johnson 13 times downtown on charges of theft, open drug use, disorderly conduct and exposing himself to female workers.
Despite police testimony that Johnson was a drug addict and psychopath, judges repeatedly released him, but he was eventually charged with sexually assaulting a woman downtown. Johnson is currently in jail without bail, but Schmidt said the system can’t intervene before that happens.
“That way it doesn’t escalate to the point where it becomes violent,” Schmidt said, “and then it’s too late because the only option left is the criminal justice system.”
Schmidt says the system is broken and, in light of repeated failures, he is calling for a summit of police, prosecutors, judges and addiction and mental health providers to begin fixing the system.
“I think what’s needed is for everyone to come together to solve these problems,” Schmidt said. “Everyone needs to come to the table and say where they are responsible and what they can do better.”
