The MS NAACP Legal Redress Committee is devoted to seeking,establishing, and preserving justice and challenging discrimination at all levels. The Legal Redress Committee investigates complaints of discrimination (in schools, on the job, and in business) as well as complaints against judicial members, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers/agencies. The Legal Redress committee oversees litigation and communicates with the national office and branch members on the progression of individual cases.(see additional information at bottom of page)

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Nation's Jails Struggle With Mentally Ill Prisoners



Via npr.org
September 4, 2011
Three hundred and fifty thousand: That's a conservative estimate for the number of offenders with mental illness confined in America's prisons and jails.
More Americans receive mental health treatment in prisons and jails than in hospitals or treatment centers. In fact, the three largest inpatient psychiatric facilities in the country are jails: Los Angeles County Jail, Rikers Island Jail in New York City and Cook County Jail in Illinois.
"We have a criminal justice system which has a very clear purpose: You get arrested. We want justice. We try you, and justice hopefully prevails. It was never built to handle people that were very, very ill, at least with mental illness," Judge Steve Leifman tells Laura Sullivan, guest host of weekends on All Things Considered.  read more....
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