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Two high profile stories in Florida both raise questions about if the state is doing enough for mental health services. As Matt Galka tells us, candidates in next month’s election tried to come up with answers for mental health advocates.

A chilling 911 call from Bell, Florida revealed a glimpse into the mental state of a murderous grandfather. The Department of Children and Families said they couldn’t have prevented the tragedy that saw six children killed.

Mounting reports from inside prisons in the state show a mistreatment of mentally ill inmates. Notably, the scalding death of an inmate at Dade Correctional after he was burned alive in a hot shower.

On Monday, a mental health panel grilled state office candidates about the status of mental health services in Florida. Donna Duncan says the state has sat on its hands for too long

“We wait and spend money after the fact rather than being proactive and spending it up front, which would decrease our end finances,” said Donna Duncan, the chairwoman for the Big Bend Mental Health Coalition.

Advocates say now is a good time to start investing in mental health, because the state has extra money.

George Sheldon used to run DCF.  He says budget cuts certainly haven’t helped the agency.

“Too many times we miss the warning signs, and I think Bell, Fl is an example of that.  What concerns me about what’s happened to DCF in the last three years,” said Sheldon.

Former Corrections secretary Walt McNeil says changes in prisoner treatment has to start with how some inmates serve time.

“How do we divert some of the persons who are going into the prison system, away from the prison system on the front end,” said McNeil.

McNeil was sitting in for Charlie Crist on the candidate panel, Sheldon is going up against Pam Bondi for her position as Attorney General.

The Governor and Attorney General couldn’t make the panel.  DCF and DOC have implemented sweeping changes to policies in the last month. DCF has reassigned staff to better handle certain domestic cases, and in a complete opposite move, Corrections let go of some guards involved in prisoner mistreatment cases.