Partner News and Resources
Arrest, Release, Repeat: How police and jails are misused to respond to social problems
Data, Policy & Culture Change, Public SafetyPolice and jails are supposed to promote public safety. Increasingly, however, law enforcement is called upon to respond punitively to medical and economic problems unrelated to public safety issues. As a result, local jails are filled w...
Could Norway’s mental health focus reduce incarceration in Michigan?
Corrections, Health Care, JusticeNorway has gained an international reputation for effectively rehabilitating prisoners, while officials in Michigan and across the country face burgeoning jail populations and costs — fueled significantly by the mentally ill. Norwa...
From NHPR: UNH Asks: What Is A Criminal?
Corrections, Health Care, Justice, Policy & Culture Change, Public SafetyUniversity of New Hampshire Roundtable asks: “What is a criminal?” Donna Perkins is an associate professor of justice studies and UNH, and Blair Rowlett is the director of the Strafford County Mental Health Court. Rowlett: (My) “work wit...
From NYT: Mississippi Mental Health System Violates Federal Law, Judge Says
Health Care, JusticeExcerpted from the September 4, 2019 article by Mihir Zaveri. A federal judge in Mississippi ruled Wednesday that the state had violated federal civil rights law by not providing mental health patients enough care in their communities, f...
From Florida Phoenix: Florida leaders consider better approaches to handle the mentally ill’s revolving jail door
Health Care, Judge Steven Leifman, Justice, National Advisors, Policy & Culture Change, Public SafetyMiami-Dade founded the nation’s first “problem-solving court,” focused on drug abuse, in 1989. Problem-solving courts mix criminal justice with specialized therapy. Miami-Dade Judge Steve Leifman is a key figure in this effort. Hi...
Policing Reform Essential to Address Mass Incarceration
Corrections, In the News, Justice, Public SafetyVera Institute of Justice report published earlier this month finds that: “While not all jail admissions stem from arrests…the growth in admissions as crime and arrest rates have fallen to lows not experienced since 1970 and 1980, resp...
Equitas Project Executive Director Vincent Atchity Announces Departure to Lead Mental Health Colorado
In the News, National AdvisorsVincent Atchity, Executive Director of The Equitas Project, has announced today that he is leaving his role at the organization as of mid-August. Dr. Atchity has served as executive director at Equitas since 2015, and will now be hea...
Changes to Help Those “Lost in the System” Because of Mental Illness
UncategorizedColoradans who are declared incompetent to proceed in court have long faced a catch-22 in the criminal justice system that leaves them languishing in jails or state hospitals for months, sometimes even years, before they have ever been ...
USA Today Opinion: To fight opioid epidemic, treat drug use with compassion, not judgment
Health Care, Policy & Culture Change…We often hear that we know what we should do regarding the opioid epidemic; we simply aren’t doing it. But we’re only sometimes right about this, and it’s often much harder than we think. For instance: If you’ve been reading the ...
‘Answer is not building better jails’ – From Lee Provost at The Daily Journal
In the News, Judge Steven Leifman, Justice, National Advisors, Policy & Culture ChangeLee Provost from the Daily Journal in Kankakee, IL writes about Equitas National Advisor Judge Steve Leifman, who presented at the Kankakee Country Club in Kankakee, IL last month. Leifman, a national leader in solving complex and costly...