Mental Illness Is Not a Crime: Recent Episodes
Sozosei Foundation
In this podcast, listeners will hear experts from across the United States discuss how and why we have criminalized mental illness – and what we can do about it. The challenge is steep. In the U.S., more than two million people with a mental health condition are jailed every year. And roughly one in two Americans with a serious mental illness will be arrested. Alisa Roth, the author and journalist, notes that jails and prisons “have become the nation’s de facto mental health care providers.” Listen in to learn more.
Experts discuss the roles and opportunities of data to reduce the over-incarceration of the mentally ill. The discussion focuses on how data can identify local problems, find or develop evidence-based solutions to those problems, and track progress over time. The experts featured include:
William H. Carson, M.D., Chairman of the Board of the Sozosei Foundation
Sheryl Kubiak, Ph.D., Dean and Professor, Wayne State University School of Social Work
John Petrila, J.D., Senior Executive Vice President of Policy, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute
Moderated by Garen Staglin, Chairman and Co-Founder, One Mind
Leading experts discuss best practices in communities across the country in response to the over-incarceration of the mentally ill. Specific topics include crisis response, early detection and diagnosis, and mental health courts. The experts featured include:
Ron Bruno, Executive Director, CIT International
Rick Kellar, President, Peg’s Foundation
Andy Keller, Ph.D., President and CEO, Meadows Mental Health Foundation
Moderated by Norman Ornstein, Ph.D., Vice President of the Matthew Harris Ornstein Memorial Foundation
Community leaders discuss how to begin local efforts to reduce the over-incarceration of the mentally ill. Topics discussed include identifying local “champions,” building alternatives to incarceration in the community, and addressing the underlying issues that contribute to incarceration. The community leaders featured include:
Judge Steve Leifman, Associate Administrative Judge, Miami-Dade County Court – Criminal Division
Dr. Ashwin Vasan, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO, Fountain House
H. Jean Wright II, Psy.D., Director, Behavioral Health and Justice Related Services, City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services
Moderated by Pete Earley, Bestselling Author and Mental Health Advocate
Advocates discuss how COVID-19 intersects with efforts to reduce the over-incarceration of the mentally ill. The discussion covers many topics related to COVID-19, including how the pandemic increases the urgency to release some individuals into the community, accelerates telehealth efforts, and raises questions of ongoing reform efforts. The advocates featured include:
Cecilia Livesey, M.D., Chief of Integrated Mental Health Services, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Mavis Nimoh, Executive Director, Center for Prisoner Health & Human Rights
Stephanie Welch, Executive Officer at the Council on Criminal Justice and Behavioral
Health, Office of the Secretary, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Moderated by Adrienne Kennedy, President, NAMI Board of Directors
In this podcast, listeners will hear experts from across the United States discuss how and why we have criminalized mental illness – and what we can do about it.
The challenge is steep. In the U.S., more than two million people with a mental health condition are jailed every year. And roughly one in two Americans with a serious mental illness will be arrested. Alisa Roth, the author and journalist, notes that jails and prisons “have become the nation’s de facto mental health care providers.”