Thinking About Corrections : mentally ill

Execution of Mentally Ill Murderer Blocked in Texas

CC Pro — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 15:24:00 GMT

The execution of a man convicted of killing his in-laws in the presence of his wife and young daughter was blocked by a divided Supreme Court on the basis of "a severe documented illness that is the source of gross delusions." Article here.

New BJS Report on Mental Health Problems

Eileen Conway — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 21:05:00 GMT

The Bureau of Justice Statistics has just released "Mental Health Problems of Prison and Jail Inmates." Among the findings are that inmates with mental health problems had served more incarcerations, and female inmates had higher rates of mental health problems.

NPR Airs Story on Mental Health Courts

Connie Clem — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 19:34:00 GMT

The Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project notes, "National Public Radio's All Things Considered recently aired a story on the efforts of mental health courts to respond to individuals with mental illness who come into contact with the criminal justice system. 'States Try Out Courts Tailored for Mentally Ill,' aired on Monday, August 21.

"The story includes an interview with Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Stratton, who co-chairs the Judges' Criminal Justice/Mental Health Leadership Initiative (JLI). The JLI is a national effort coordinated by the Council of State Governments and the National GAINS/TAPA Center to support and enhance judges working to improve the response to people with mental illness involved in the criminal justice system.

"Dr. Henry Steadman, Director of the National GAINS/TAPA Center and President of Policy Research Associates, is also interviewed.

"Butler County Mental Health Court (OH) and its judge, the Honorable Michael Sage, are featured throughout the story. Butler County was a finalist for the Bureau of Justice Assistance Mental Health Court Learning Sites."

Here's the link to listen to the NPR story. To receive e-mail updates from The Consensus Project, complete the e-newsletter sign-up form here.