Thursday, September 19, 2002

Criminal Justice Primer for State Mental Health Agencies
Report prepared by William Kanapaux for the National Technical Assistance Center for State Mental Health Planning. As noted in the introduction, "The purpose of this document is to offer decision makers and their staffs a basic understanding of the growing overlap between the criminal justice and mental health systems. The number of people with serious mental illness who are involved in the criminal justice system has grown considerably in recent years and shows no signs of abating. Resolving the problem will require a level of coordination rarely seen between the two systems, which traditionally have had divergent missions and cultures. The mental health system is designed to provide treatment while the criminal justice system functions to protect the public. When a mental health system is unable, for whatever reason, to provide the treatment and supports necessary for an individual to function within the community, the involvement of law enforcement increases." (Adobe Acrobat)  
  

The life and death of the city's drug court (Connecticut)
Yale Daily News feature on an experimental drug court program that was ended in August by the state's chief administrative judge, citing "a huge state budget deficit."  
  

Facilities for juveniles lacking (California)
Story in the Appeal-Democrat - "Legislation on the governor's desk pressuring counties to move children out of juvenile halls into nonsecure facilities would hurt children in need of special treatment, according to Yuba and Sutter County probation agencies."