Full access
Government News
Published Online: 4 June 2004

Support Builds For Bill to Improve Prison MH Care

Kate MulliganAuthors Info & Affiliations
Publication: Psychiatric News
Volume 39, Number 11
https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.39.11.0390007a
Track CitationsAdd to favorites
Eleven members of the U.S. House of Representatives have agreed to cosponsor the “Mentally Ill Offender and Crime Reduction Act of 2003.”
Rep. Ted Strickland (D-Ohio) introduced the bill (HR 2387) in June 2003. The Senate passed it by unanimous consent in October 2003, immediately after release of a report by Human Rights Watch titled “Ill-Equipped: U.S. Prisons and Offenders With Mental Illness” (Psychiatric News, December 5, 2003).
APA is supporting the bill, which would provide grants to create or expand mental health courts, train correctional officers and others to identify symptoms of mental illness, promote cooperative efforts to treat mental illness and substance abuse, and promote intergovernmental cooperation among prisoners with mental illness.
In February, APA President Marcia Goin, M.D., convened a conference on jail-diversion programs whose theme was the fiscal result of criminalization of people with mental illness (see page 4; also, Psychiatric News, March 19). The conference was co-chaired by APA Presidentelect Steven Sharfstein, M.D., in conjunction with APA's Corresponding Committee on Jails and Prisons.
Committee Chair Henry Weinstein, M.D., said that committee members are working with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and the Council of State Governments to develop cost data and analyses that convince legislators that it is cost-effective, as well as humane, to provide access to high-quality, community-based mental health services whose goal is to minimize unnecessary incarceration of people with mental illness. ▪

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric News
Psychiatric News
Volume 39 • Number 11 • June 4, 2004
Pages: 7

History

Published online: 4 June 2004
Published in print: June 4, 2004

Notes

The bill should help alleviate the problem of warehousing mentally ill people in prisons and jails.

Authors

Details

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format
Citation style
Style
Copy to clipboard
Tips for downloading citations

View Options

View options

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Share article link

Share

×

As described within the American Psychiatric Association (APA)'s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, this website utilizes cookies, including for the purpose of offering an optimal online experience and services tailored to your preferences. Please read the entire Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. By closing this message, browsing this website, continuing the navigation, or otherwise continuing to use the APA's websites, you confirm that you understand and accept the terms of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including the utilization of cookies.