Mental Health
Trail Stabbing Issue: Can Disturbed People Be Stopped?
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James Jordan is charged with killing a hiker on the Appalachian Trail. A “trail angel” moved him away temporarily, but should he have been committed?
Justice and Health
Police Play ‘Outsized’ Role in Transporting People with Severe Mental Illness: Survey
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Law enforcement officers around the U.S. spend nearly a quarter of their time shuttling individuals suffering a mental health crisis to treatment centers—which not only diverts them from public safety responsibilities, but further criminalizes mental illness, a new survey concludes.
Mental Health
After Banning from Mall, Man Accused of Tossing Boy
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A 24-year-old Minnesota man with “anger issues” was charged with attempted homicide after throwing a five-year-old boy from a 40-foot balcony at the Mall of America. Emmanuel Aranda had been banned from the mall for other incidents and referred to a mental health court.
Rural Justice Crisis
Virginia’s Tangled Politics of Jail Reform
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The Hampton Roads Regional Jail in historic coastal Virginia has been struggling with inmate deaths, staff shortages, and funding issues for more than a decade. But getting help from local and state politicians has been an uphill battle.
Mental Health
Held in Solitary, But No Conviction: New York Man Awaits Trial
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Plush Dozier, 23, has been in New York’s maximum security Attica prison since last year because the local jail was unable to treat his mental-health problems. He is being held in solitary even though he is yet to be convicted of a crime.
Mental Health
Rising U.S. Suicides Spur Call for More Research
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The national suicide toll grew from 29,000 in 1999 to 47,000 in 2017. The recent deaths of three people connected to two school shootings point to the lack of research on suicide causes.
Justice and Health
Criminal Justice and Healthcare: Why They’re Linked
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Criminal justice involvement can drive health problems, and vice versa. Many who work in healthcare have realized this relationship is something they can’t afford to ignore.
Mental Health
Policing ‘With Compassion’: Tucson Draws Lessons From Gabby Giffords Shooting
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In the aftermath of the shooting in a Tucson mall in 2011, leaving six people dead and 13 injured, including Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, the Tucson police department has developed a proactive approach to dealing with the mentally ill.
Mental Health
NH Takes Steps to End Imprisonment of Mentally Ill
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New Hampshire stands alone in the U.S. in warehousing involuntarily committed mental health patients in prison. Now the governor is willing to spend money on a new hospital to end the practice of turning civil commitments into prison stints.
Mental Health
Oregon Jails Routinely Flout Order to Hospitalize Mentally Ill
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Oregon officials have been under a court order since 2003 to move mentally ill pretrial defendants from jail to hospitals within seven days. An analysis by The Oregonian newspaper shows that doesn’t happen 29 percent of the time, thanks to shortages of hospital beds and law enforcement resources.