Well, when I first read this article sent to me by the NAMI headquarters, and thought about it, my gut response was not to support this effort by contacting officials.
My reason was (and is) that we simply cannot have criminals loose in society and that includes people with mental ilnesses. I do understand that people who do not seek mental healthcare treatment are ususally the ones who commit crimes or those who stop taking necessary medications because the mind will, WILL eventually snap! How it snaps is just to risky to chance. So my advocacy is always, always that people should prevent a mental condition and in most cases, that is possible. However, taking medications is just good common sense for so many reasons.
In any event, this situation of criminals with a mental illness makes it harder for people like me who cope and manage a mental condition successfully without criminal behavior because of the stigmas. How do you feel about this?
Unfortunately, I also know the ugly dark side of having little or no mental healthcare inside of the criminal justice center. Is this fair for people with a mental condition who commit minor offenses such as bad check writing? What about homelless people with untreated mental conditions who fight over sleeping space and get arrested for disorderly conduct? Hmmm...
Did you know that if you do not take necessary medications due to a mental condition, you may not even remember commiting a crime?
What about the teenager who does not have mental healthcare and commits a crime (i.e., gang actvity, drugs, etc.)? Did you know that most African-Aerican teens get sent to juvenile justice while other race group teens get sent into mental health programs (i.e., drug counseling, talk therapy,
So, should we punish people for going off medications and who commit crimes by throwing them into a system that offers no competent or quality mental healthcare? What about non-criminal people who have NO health insurance and cannot afford prescriptions but are forced to steal food or break into a vacant building for shelter?
Are they entitled to rehabilitation? Let's think about this some more and very closely...
So, then I decided to read the Senate Judicial reports more closely and I believe that it is fair and appropriate for providing mental heathcare to persons rather than throwing them into jail and tossing the key to rehabilitation. What do you think? Should we draw a line somewhere, too?
Let the Senate hear YOUR honest feelings and thoughts about this important legislation and share with us, too.
The criminalization of people with mental illness is a growing problem that devastates many members of our community. A study released this month in the journal Psychiatric Services shows that the prevalence of people with serious mental illness in jails is increasing. The study, which was presented June 1st at a Senate briefing featuring NAMI National board member Fred Frese, found that overall, 16% of jail inmates have a serious mental illness. Even more alarming, 31% of female jail inmates have a serious mental illness. These numbers suggest that up to 2 million jail bookings every year involve an individual with serious mental illness.
In light of this study, it is more important now than ever before to support programs that help people stay out of jail. This week, the House Appropriations committee approved the FY 2010 budget for Commerce, Justice and Science programs, which includes $12 million for the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA). MIOTCRA grants support communities working on crisis intervention teams (CIT), mental health courts, and similar programs that are proven to help break the cycle of incarceration. The bill also includes $100 million in funding for the Second Chance Act, which supports re-entry programs to help people get the services and support they need to successfully reintegrate into society. The full House is expected to vote on the bill the week of June 15.
Act Now!
Let your Representatives in the House know that people with mental illness should not be in jail. Write a letter today telling them to support funding for MIOTCRA and the Second Chance Act as part of the 2010 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill. Click here or cut and paste into your browser:
http://capwiz.com/nami/issues/alert/?alert... Learn More
Visit the Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project Web site to learn more about the study. Click here or cut and paste into your browser:
http://consensusproject.org/updates/featur... Visit the House Appropriations Committee Web site to read a summary of the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill. Click here or cut and paste:
http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/CJS_FY... Read more about the briefing on the prevalence study hosted by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Click or paste:
http://consensusproject.org/downloads/prev... Agnes B. Levine is the Founder/President, Levine-Oliver Publisher
www.levineoliverpublisher.com and Author of: "Cooling Well Water: A Collection of Work By An African-American Bipolar Woman" ISBN 13 978-0-9754612-0-4
Available NOW at Amazon.com
Posted By: agnes levine
Monday, June 15th 2009 at 10:35PM
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