For Immediate Release From Bazelon Law Center!
Bazelon Center Releases New Publication - "Defunding the Police" and People with Mental Illness
August 14, 2020 - The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law has released a new publication, "Defunding the Police" and People with Mental Illness
http://www.bazelon.org/wp-content/uploads/... documenting the urgency of reducing the role of the police in the lives of people with mental illness.
In far too many communities, police take the lead in responding to people with mental illness who are in crisis or in need, with tragic consequences, especially for Black people with mental illness. As many as one-quarter of the fatalities from police shootings are people with mental illness.
People with mental illness, especially those who are Black, have disproportionately suffered needless death and high rates of incarceration. Approximately 20% of jail inmates and 15% of prison inmates have a serious mental illness. Two million people with a serious mental illness are booked into jails each year, and the risk of being jailed is particularly high for Black people with mental illness.
A contributing cause is the widely acknowledged dysfunction of our public mental health system. Black people with mental illness are especially poorly served. We must invest in public mental health systems, expanding their capacity to deliver community-based mental health services, housing assistance, substance use treatment, and income support. As we build capacity, we must heed the voices of people with mental illness, including those who represent the racial, ethnic, gender, linguistic and other important types of diversity in our communities.
To minimize the police's role in responding to people with mental illness, the Bazelon Center urges that communities implement the following changes.
Re-direct requests for police intervention. Calls involving people with mental illness should be redirected and handled by the mental health system in most cases. Communities should identify situations, such as those involving violence to others, in which the police should also respond. The mental health system, and not police, should be deployed when the individual is suicidal and presents no risk to others.
Capacity for a mental health response. The mental health system must take over some functions now performed by 911. It should have the capacity to receive and respond to calls redirected from 911, calls from the police, and calls received directly. Many calls will require dispatching mobile mental health staff, typically organized as mobile crisis teams, to respond quickly and de-escalate the situation. There should be an array of facilities available for crisis care, including respite apartments, staffed apartments for short term stays, and crisis centers scattered throughout urban areas. Short term detox facilities should be available as well, followed up by offers of treatment for substance use disorders.
Follow-up care. After the immediate issue is resolved, the mental health system must follow-up, making sure the individual has access to needed services on an on-going basis. Individuals with the most significant mental health needs should have access to housing assistance, intensive case management, peer support services, treatment delivered by a mobile team, and supported employment. Services must reflect the voices and concerns of the full diversity of people with mental illness.
The full publication, "Defunding the Police" and People with Mental Illness, is available to download on the Bazelon Center's website.
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Posted By: agnes levine
Friday, August 14th 2020 at 2:56PM
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