___________________________________________________________________________
NAMI E-NEWS June 6, 2003 Vol.03-28
___________________________________________________________________________
NAMI Applauds Crime Reduction Act of 2003
NAMI Applauds Visionary Bill to Reduce Criminalization of Mental Illness.
Your Advocacy is Needed to Achieve Passage!
As public resources for treatment and services for individuals with mental
illnesses shrink, the use of adult jails and prisons and juvenile justice
facilities as de-facto "psychiatric treatment programs" grows. On June 5,
2003, identical bills were introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of
Representatives to reverse this disturbing and shameful trend. The "Mentally
Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2003" would authorize new
federal funds for jail diversion programs for adults with serious mental
illnesses and juveniles with serious emotional disturbances, treatment
programs
for individuals who are incarcerated, and services to aid people transitioning
back into the community.
The Senate bill (S. 1194) was introduced by Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and
co-
sponsored by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Charles Grassley
(R-Iowa), Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) and Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico). The
House bill (HR 2387) was introduced by Representative Ted Strickland (D-
Ohio). The collaboration between Senator DeWine and Representative Strickland
is the continuation of a partnership that first occurred when the two worked
together to pass federal legislation authorizing Mental Health Courts in 2000.
The "Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2003" would
authorize $100 million to establish a grant program at the U.S. Department of
Justice that can be used by states and communities to:
* Create jail diversion programs;
* Provide treatment to adults with serious mental illness and juveniles with
serious emotional disturbance who are incarcerated;
* Fund cross-training of criminal justice, law enforcement, court and mental
health personnel; and
* Provide mental health services to individuals with serious mental illnesses
upon reentry into the community.
In recognition that programs authorized by this bill will require extensive
cooperation among agencies, providers and stakeholders, S. 1194 and HR 2387
requires successful applicants for grants to demonstrate the involvement of
multiple stakeholders, including mental health, criminal or juvenile justice
agencies, consumers, family members, and others in all planning and
implementation activities.
At a press conference announcing introduction of this bill, Tom Lane, Director
of NAMI's Office of Consumer Affairs, spoke about how the services available
through this legislation could have helped him. "Five years ago, I was in
crisis, suicidal, and in desperate need of access to mental health services,"
Lane explained. "I got a law enforcement response, not a mental health
response. What I needed was help from the mental health system, not
entanglement with the criminal justice system. There simply were no
alternatives available at that time. This bill will create alternatives."
ACTION NEEDED:
Additional sponsors are needed for both the Senate and House bills - as many
as
possible. Therefore, please contact your U.S. Senators and your Congressman or
Congresswoman and urge them to co-sponsor S. 1194 or HR 2387. If you are a
constituent of Senators DeWine, Leahy, Grassley, Cantwell, or Domenici, please
contact them and thank them for their leadership. Please urge your friends to
make these calls as well. All Senators and House members can be reached by
calling the Capitol Switchboard toll free at 1-800-839-5276 or at 202-224-3121
or online at www.congress.org.
Talking Points:
When urging your Senator(s) and Representative to support S 1194/HR 2387, you
may consider making the following points.
* More than 16% of adults incarcerated in U.S. jails and prisons have a mental
illness, and approximately 20 % of youth in juvenile justice systems have
serious mental illnesses. A significant number of these individuals have co-
occurring mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders. Most of
these individuals are not hardened or violent criminals but rather have
committed minor offenses that are a direct consequence of lack of treatment
and
services.
* The provision of treatment, rehabilitation, and support services have proven
effectiveness in preventing additional criminal justice involvement and
reducing recidivism among low-level offenders with mental illnesses or co-
occurring mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders.
* Targeting resources for jail diversion, mental health/substance treatment,
and community reentry services ultimately frees up law enforcement and
criminal
justice personnel to focus on preventing and fighting crime rather than
responding to adults or juveniles with mental illnesses in crisis.
* Collaborations among mental health, substance abuse, law enforcement,
criminal justice, consumers, and family members are already in place in many
communities and have shown to be the most effective way to respond to the
needs
of adults with serious mental illnesses and juveniles with serious emotional
disturbances in adult and juvenile corrections facilities, while reducing
criminal behaviors among these individuals.
Questions about S. 1194 or HR 2387 should be directed to Ron Honberg,
RonH@nami.org, or Andrew Sperling,
Andrew@nami.org.
Thank you for your advocacy in support of this important legislation!
-----------------------------------------------------------
The NAMI E-News is an electronic newsletter delivering
the latest in federal action alerts, legislative and policy
updates, and NAMI press releases. Provided free of charge
as a public service, the NAMI E-News is read by more than
16,500 NAMI members, policymakers, federal and state
legislators, media, providers, health care policy experts, and
others interested in improving the lives of individuals with severe
mental illnesses and their families.
Contributions to support the NAMI E-News are welcomed and
can be made online (
http://www.nami.org/about/development/index.html );
via mail (make check payable to NAMI and send to NAMI, P.O. Box 79972,
Baltimore, MD 21279-0972); or through the Combined Federal Campaign
(CFC #0538).
Currently, NAMI Members number 220,000.
Thank you.
Last Updated on
04/14/04
webmaster@namiscc.org
