‘Jail is Not the Answer’

Public forums set on mental health, justice system

Posted

Non-government organizations National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Thurston-Mason and Justice not Jails (JNJ) will hold three community forums to discuss mental health and substance use disorders in Thurston County.

The first forum, set for Tue., Feb. 1,  at 7 p.m., will focus on the available programs in the county to prevent people with mental health and substance use disorders from entering the criminal justice system.

Data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) showed that people with serious mental illness are booked into jails about two million times each year. NAMI Thurston-Mason reported that about 2 in 5 people, or 37%in state and federal prisons and 44% in local jails, have a mental illness history.

In addition to this data, a June 2017 special report by the United States Department of Justice stated that about 3 in 5 people, or 63%, with a history of mental illness, do not receive mental health treatment while incarcerated in state and federal prisons.

NAMI Thurston-Mason reported thatthat among incarcerated people with a mental health condition, non-white individuals are more likely to go to solitary confinement, be injured, and stay longer in jail.

Four speakers in the first forum will address recent legal changes and racial and ethnic disparities in the county as they tackle their accomplishments and challenges in their respective programs.

Speakers will include:

  • Lacey Chief of Police Robert Almada will discuss related programs in the police department.
  • Anne Larsen will represent the Olympia Crisis Response Unit.
  • Jason Bean-Mortinson and Joe Avalos will discuss Thurston County’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) Program.
  • Carrie Hennen, Treatment Sales Tax Program Manager, will complete the roster of speakers.

The second and third forums will address programs in the Thurston County Jail and the reality of life on the street after release. NAMI Thurston-Mason has yet to announce the schedule of these forums.

NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental-health organization. Its Thurston-Mason affiliate sponsors free support groups and education programs for families, friends, and those individuals with the lived experience of a mental health condition.

JNJ is a group of religious and secular organizations and individuals working to reform the criminal justice system in Thurston County.

 Interested? Register for the forum via Zoom through this link.

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  • Panagringo

    Leaving them out on the street surely isn't. Endangering the rest of our lives.

    Saturday, January 15, 2022 Report this