The Crime Report (https://thecrimereport.org/category/mental-health/)
According to a study of the Michigan Department of Corrections, prison workers are more likely to show symptoms of depression and anxiety or suicidal ideation than even first responders or members of the military.
A media probe of U.S. jail deaths finds that scores of facilities have been sued or investigated for refusing inmates medication, ignoring cries for help, failing to monitor them despite warnings they might harm themselves, or imposing such harsh conditions that the sick got sicker.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.