Group Home May Help Man Cross “Threshold” to New Start

In what could be a positive turn of events, a Chicago man may be discovering rehabilitation not only for his past crime but his mental health as well.

The 19-year-old charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle was found unfit to stand trial by Judge Dennis J. Porter on April 21 in a Chicago criminal courtroom.

Porter ruled that defendant Jerry Snider must continue to undergo psychiatric treatment at Lincoln Park’s Threshold House, with the case to be reviewed in a year.

In the meantime, Snider will spend more time in the Threshold adult program, which seeks to assist developmentally disabled individuals by means of educational advocacy, training in necessary life skills and counseling.

Snider is one of 12 men who live at the group home. He has lived at Threshold House since November and receives group and individual counseling and psychiatric care.

Diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, Snider is being treated with the prescription drug Risperdal.

Evaluating psychiatrist Dawna Gutzaman said she found Snider unfit to stand trial due to his inability to adequately understand the legal issues facing him.

She said, “There is a high probability that he will be able to be restored to fitness.”

Snider’s Threshold case manager, Melissa Vitt, said his treatment involved “working with him to teach him information about what is going on in the court room.”

Vitt said on behalf of Snider, “He has not been disciplined for aggressive behavior. He is not a danger to himself or others. He has not tried to leave the group home.”

State’s Attorney Mary Jo Murtaugh questioned Snider’s counsel and case manager as to why Snider was in residence at Threshold rather than under supervision of the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Public Defender Brett Balmer said DHS has no out-patient facility. She added, “He would be transferred only if he is a danger to himself or others. This is not the case. He is not a flight risk.”

Snider is able to independently attend Sullivan High School, where he is a senior. He takes the CTA unaccompanied by Threshold staff, she said.

“He has had no trouble with timeliness and going to school,” Vitt said.

“I at first recommended him for a secure setting but I changed that. I now think he should be in the least restrictive environment,” said Gutzaman.