Why Are We Using Prisons to Treat the Mentally Ill? The Nation Magazine Dear lucy, If someone you love forgot where they were and became terrified, who would you call? For cash-strapped communities across the country, the first and only option for people with a loved one suffering a mental health crisis is to call 911. Police are frequently then the first to respond, a situation that too often leads to handcuffs and a jail cell. As part of OverCriminalized, our new video series produced in partnership with the ACLU and Brave New Films, we’re calling on Congress to pass critical legislation, the Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act, that puts the focus of mental health reform where it belongs: on the gaps in community-based services that cause many thousands of people with serious mental illnesses to experience crisis or endure needless incarceration. Will you join us? Focusing on mental illness, housing and drug dependency, OverCriminalized sheds light on the damage done when we criminalize social problems and profiles innovative solutions that have proven to be far more effective than throwing people in jail. Our video on mental illness looks at San Antonio, TX and that city’s use of Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), a program that teaches police officers how to safely and effectively interact with someone struggling with a mental health crisis. The Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act would expand programs such as San Antonio’s by providing additional funding to train police officers, ensuring that more mentally ill people who come in contact with law enforcement get the help that they need. It’s time to stop treating mental illness like a crime. Call on Congress to pass the Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act. Then check out OverCriminalized and find out how you can fight mass criminalization in your city. All the best, Sarah Arnold
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 06:07:37 +0000
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