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Full-Text Articles in Social Work
Front End Justice: Diverting People Affected By Mental Illness From The Criminal Justice System, Ariel Esqueda, Kelliann Kutschke, Matthew Miller, Kayleigh Wendland
Front End Justice: Diverting People Affected By Mental Illness From The Criminal Justice System, Ariel Esqueda, Kelliann Kutschke, Matthew Miller, Kayleigh Wendland
Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs
Many of the people caught up in the criminal justice system are non-violent offenders struggling with mental illness, which cannot and should not be addressed through incarceration. Our jails and prisons are ill-equipped to provide effective mental health services. Incarceration compounds the problem by contributing to increased psychological distress. We are relying on the criminal justice system to respond to mental illness, rather than investing fully in the spectrum of mental health care from prevention to recovery. Minnesota must invest in diverting people affected by mental illness away from the criminal justice system and into community-based treatment, services, and supports …
From Incarceration To Community: Criminal Justice Reform For People Affected By Mental Illness In Minnesota, Nancy Altmann, Paige Myrick
From Incarceration To Community: Criminal Justice Reform For People Affected By Mental Illness In Minnesota, Nancy Altmann, Paige Myrick
Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs
Minnesota needs a new pathway approach in supporting people affected by mental illness. It is time we stop the practice of criminalizing mental illness, reform the probation and supervision systems, expand Medicaid and MinnesotaCare access, and fully invest in supports for people reintegrating back to their families and communities. Let’s take the millions of dollars spent annually on incarceration and invest in supportive services for people affected by mental illness. This approach invests in the health, hope, safety, and justice for all Minnesotans.
Jails Are Not Treatment Centers, Michael Henning, Rachel Mattick, Cali Turbes
Jails Are Not Treatment Centers, Michael Henning, Rachel Mattick, Cali Turbes
Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs
Currently, in Minnesota alone, there are more individuals with severe mental illness being incarcerated than hospitalized. Blue Earth County's Yellow Line Project (YLP) reported that 83.7% of individuals screened positive for mental illness prior to being booked into jail . Not only does incarcerating individuals with mental illness fill our jails, it prolongs mental illness and time spent away from treatment. Jail diversion programs divert individuals with mental health disorders from the criminal justice system and into appropriate treatment when applicable. For those individuals ineligible for diversion from the criminal justice system, care coordination would be ideal to assist in …