National Alliance on Mental Illness
Illinois'
Voice on Mental Illness - NAMI Illinois
National Alliance on Mental Illness
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CIT in Illinois
You probably come into contact with individuals in crisis all the time,
but that likelihood may increase over the next several weeks if proposed cuts to
Please click the links below to print the cards and give them to officers
to help them effectively deal with individuals in crisis.
We want everyone to be safe during this stressful time. 1. Remember that a person with a mental illness is a person first. They are sick and in need of treatment. 2.
Remain calm and helpful.
3.
Assess the situation for safety. 4.
Respond to the individuals basic needs. 5.
Maintain space between you.
Do not touch the individual unless necessary. For
persons with mental illness this may frighten them and lead to violence. 6.
Give simple, clear directions.
If you are working as a team, one person should talk to avoid confusion.
7.
If someone is experiencing delusions or
hallucinations, respond to the individual’s feelings, rather than content of
their conversation. 8.
Do not arrest a person for illness-related behavior
that is not criminal in nature. One in
four adults experience a mental health disorder in a given year.
One in 17 lives with a serious mental illness.
They are common, treatable illnesses.
Please help and support these folks.
With treatment and support, recovery is not only possible, but probable. Thank
you… Click here to print 3 x 4 1/2 inch Size Take Along Cards
New Fact Sheets on Crisis Intervention Programs for Youth NAMI is pleased to announce the release of two new fact sheets designed to help advocates bring crisis intervention programs for youth to their the communities. The two fact sheets, "Family Advocacy: Crisis Intervention Programs for Youth Strengthening Schools and Communities" and "Law Enforcement Advocacy: Promoting Crisis Intervention Programs for Youth In Schools and Communities" offer strategies that NAMI families and their allies in law enforcement can use to bring these programs into their communities. These two fact sheets accompany NAMI's recently released guide "Supporting Schools and Communities in Breaking the Prison Pipeline: A Guide to Emerging and Promising Crisis Intervention Programs for Youth." To learn more about crisis intervention programs for youth, contact Laura Usher or Dana Markey.
NAMI National's "A Guide to Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System" can be found online ( http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Issue_Spotlights&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=60725) . It includes information about types of crimes (misdemeanors versus felonies), the various steps involved in the criminal justice process and how mental illness factors in, the constitutional rights of criminal defendants, legal competency and insanity defense standards, tips on finding a lawyer, and other information.NAMI National also provides a lawyer referral service - helping to connect individuals with lawyers in their community who may be able to help. You can contact the legal referral service by email ( mailto:legal@nami.org) . Unfortunately, we do not have a staff of lawyers, and do not have the capacity to assist with individual legal cases.
National Reentry Resource Center Launched On October 6 The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center announced its launch of the National Reentry Resource Center, an initiative to advance the safe and successful return of individuals from prisons and jails to their communities. Authorized by the Second Chance Act of 2007, the resource center's goal is to "provide communities across the country with the best thinking on complex reentry issues, comprehensive resources and myriad forms of support that can help reduce recidivism and strengthen neighborhoods and families". It will provide training and technical assistance to Second Chance Act grant recipients and provide a single point of contact for the many individuals and organizations that are committed to reentry issues. Learn more about the Second Chance Act you can look over the Department of Justice Web site ( http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/SecondChance.html) .Learn more about the Justice Center's National Reentry Resource Center ( http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/)
National CIT Conference: June 1-3, 2010 The National CIT Conference will be held in San Antonio, TX June 1-3 2010. To see the Save the Date announcement, visit the NAMI Web site. To learn more about submitting a proposal to present at the conference, please see the Call for Papers. The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2010. For more information, call 210-358-6919 or check out their Web site ( http://www.chcsbc.org/cit/) .
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NAMI
New York State in a joint project with the Urban Justice
Center Mental Health Project has published a handbook
called "