Mental Health Awareness in The Prison System

JOINING US. IT'S ESTIMATED THAT CLOSE TO 60 MILLION AMERICANS ARE LIVING WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS. ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH, CLOSE TO HALF OF ALL AMERICANS MEET THE CRITERIA FOR A DIAGNOSABLE MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION. THAT NUMBER IS CONSISTENT WITH THE INDIVIDUALS IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM WHERE NEARLY 2 MILLION TIMES EACH YEAR PEOPLE WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS ARE BOOKED INTO JAILS AS PART OF OUR LOOK INTO MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH. WGCU JENNIFER CRAWFORD LEARNED ABOUT THE EFFORTS. ONE GROUP IS MAKING TO PROVIDE AWARENESS ABOUT THE CRIMINALIZATION OF MENTAL HEALTH. >> MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH. THE NATION'S GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION TO HELP THOSE INDEED OF MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES IS NOT ME. THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS. NOW ONE FOCUS OF THE GROUP IS TO PROVIDE HELP FOR THOSE IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. SHANNON SCULLY IS THE DIRECTOR FOR JUSTICE POLICY AND INITIATIVES AND SHE JOINS US NOW FROM WASHINGTON, D.C., MISKA LEE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. >> I THINK YOU FOR HAVING ME TODAY. >> CAN YOU FIRST GIVE US AN OVERVIEW OF NAMI AND WHAT ITS CORE MISSION REVOLVES AROUND. >> ABSOLUTELY. NAMI IS THE NATION'S LARGEST GRASSROOTS MENTAL HEALTH ORGANIZATION. WE REPRESENT PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS AND THEIR FAMILIES AND OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT ANYONE WHO IS IMPACTED BY MENTAL ILLNESS IS ABLE TO ACCESS CARE AND LIVE IN A COMMUNITY THAT CARES. WE ARE LOCATED IN ALL 50 STATES. AND SO THERE IS A NOMINEE LIKELY IN YOUR COMMUNITY. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SUPPORT WITH MENTAL HEALTH OR WITH SOMEONE YOU LOVE WHO IS EXPERIENCING MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS. >> NAMI RELEASED A BRIEF ON TRENDS AND MENTAL HEALTH AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE STATE POLICY RECENTLY HOW PERVASIVE IS THE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS IN OUR LOCAL JAILS AND IN OUR PRISON SYSTEM. >> NATIONALLY, PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS ARE OVER REPRESENTED IN OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS. AND I OFTEN SAY THAT WHEN OUR MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM FAILS, THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM ENDS UP BEING THE SAFETY NET THAT WE USE TO CATCH THOSE PEOPLE. AND SO PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY INCARCERATED IN INVOLVED IN OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. WELL, OLD ESTIMATES ESTIMATES BY THE BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE IS THAT ABOUT 44% OF PEOPLE WHO ARE INCARCERATED IN JAILS AND ANYWHERE BETWEEN 35 TO 40% OF PEOPLE WHO ARE INCARCERATED IN STATE AND FEDERAL PRISONS. ARE IMPACTED BY AND MENTAL ILLNESS AND HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION. SO THERE'S DEFINITELY HIGHER RATES. THESE RATES ARE HIGHER THAN WHAT WE FIND IN COMMUNITIES >> WHY HAS OUR SYSTEM PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM? >> OUR FAILURE FOR PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AND THEN FOR PEOPLE WHO END UP IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM REALLY STARTS WITH OUR COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM, A MENTAL HEALTH, AND AND THE SYSTEM FOR PEOPLE TO ACCESS MENTAL HEALTH CARE HAS NEVER BEEN BUILT OUT OR FUNDED IN THE WAY THAT IT NEEDS IN ORDER TO MEET THE DEMAND FROM OUR COMMUNITIES. >> WHAT DO YOU HOPE HAPPENS AND WHAT CAN BE DONE LEGISLATIVELY ACROSS THE NATION AND HAVE A TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT EVEN TO OUR STATE LEVEL TO HELP WITH THIS. THIS GROWING CRISIS. ABSOLUTELY. >> YOU KNOW, EVERY EVERY POLICYMAKER HAS A ROLE TO PLAY AND TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE RECEIVE MENTAL HEALTH CARE THAT THEY NEED IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND ARE DIVERTED AWAY FROM THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND THAT STARTS WITH PROVIDING FUNDING AND RESOURCES TO COMMUNITIES SO THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO INVEST IN A MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM THAT REACHES OUT TO PEOPLE AND MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY'RE AT AND PROVIDING THEM WITH THE CARE AND RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED. >> HOW HOW PROBLEMATIC IS FUNDING FOR HELPING PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH ILLNESS. >> WELL, DEFINITELY A PROBLEM THAT WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW, ESPECIALLY WITH CHANGES THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO MEDICAID. WE ANTICIPATE. MEDIC CHANGES. WE WE THAT WE SAW PASSED LAST YEAR THROUGH HR ONE MADE 10 CHANGES TO MEDICAID AND WE ARE AS NAMI ARE ANTICIPATING THAT THAT IS GOING TO IMPACT AND PEOPLE'S ABILITY TO ACCESS THE HEALTH INSURANCE THAT THEY NEED AND THUS THE CRITICAL CARE OF THAT THEY MIGHT NEED FOR THEIR MENTAL HEALTH CARE. WE'RE DOING A LOT OF ADVOCACY BOTH AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL AND AT AND ACROSS THE STATES TO ENSURE THAT THE IMPACTS FROM HR ONE ARE MINIMAL. WE'VE ALSO SEEN CUTS TO MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS, YOU EARLIER THIS YEAR WE SAW WE SAW GRANT PROGRAMS CUT AT SAMPSON AND THEN THEY WERE READ IT. READ. THEY WERE LATER REINSTATED. THESE ARE THE TYPES OF OF OF FUNDS THAT REALLY GET TO OUR COMMUNITIES AND REALLY ALLOW THE ORGANIZATIONS AND THE PROVIDERS THAT ARE CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE MENTAL ILLNESS TO DO THEIR JOBS. AND SO THESE TYPES OF FUNDING SOURCES, YOU NEED TO BE INCREASED. THEY NEED TO BE STABLE IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE THAT THE SERVICERS ARE THERE WHEN PEOPLE NEED THEM. >> HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS MONTH, PROVIDING AWARENESS AND GETTING THE WORD OUT HOW CRITICAL IS THAT IN SUPPORTING YOUR MISSION? >> RECENT AWARENESS ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS IS ABSOLUTELY CENTRAL TO THE MISSION OF NAMI. WE FIND THAT WHEN WE EDUCATE COMMUNITIES ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS AND REALLY START TO BREAK DOWN THE STIGMA THAT IS CONNECTED TO MENTAL ILLNESS. THAT WE'RE BETTER ABLE TO FOCUS OUR FOLKS FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE, REACHING OUT FOR ASSISTANCE BECAUSE WE REMOVED THE FEAR. WE'VE REMOVED THE UNCERTAINTY ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS. AND SO THAT'S WHAT THIS MONTH IS ALL ABOUT IS MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE NO WHAT MENTAL ILLNESS IS UNDERSTAND WHERE THE RESOURCES ARE AND FEEL REALLY EMPOWERED TO REACH OUT FOR HELP WHEN THEY NEED IT. >> THANK YOU, MISS CALI. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. >> IF YOU OR ANYONE, YOU KNOW, IS DEALING WITH A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS, THERE IS HELP YOU CAN CONTACT A SUICIDE AND CRISIS LIFELINE BY CALLING 9, 8, 8,