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Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
| Crisis Intervention-CIT in IllinoisCIT Curriculum Model in Developmenthttp://cit.memphis.edu ) (U of M), the International Association of Chiefs of Police and CIT International , there will be an answer to that question. Read more... ( http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=CIT&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=129706 )CIT Programs Collaborating with Academic Researchershttp://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=CIT&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=129722 ) Criminal Justice Webinars: Watch Anytimehttp://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=CIT&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=129714 ) Launch of IACP’s Youth-Focused Policing Resource Centerhttp://www.ojjdp.gov ) has launched the Youth-focused Policing Resource Center. read more ( http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=CIT&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=129725 )New Resource from NAMI’s CIT Center: CIT FAQhttp://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=CIT&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=129724 )
NAMI
releases a CIT for Youth Manual to help community leaders Respond to youth with
mental health needs We are
excited to announce that NAMI has published a crisis intervention team (CIT)
manual for families, police, schools, mental health professionals and others to
build local programs to help youth with mental illness. The
150-page "CIT for Youth" manual is available at
www.nami.org/citforyouth
for download and purchase and is recommended for community leaders working with
schools and police. CIT for
Youth programs improve responses to youth in psychiatric crisis. They rely on
de-escalation techniques and community partnerships that connect young people to
treatment rather than to arrest and detention. "Adult
CIT programs exist in 40 states, but an urgent need exists for programs focused
specifically on youth," said NAMI Executive Director Michael
Fitzpatrick. "NAMI's manual is aimed at building community
partnerships to support police training and diversion practices. Schools must
play an important role." The
manual provides case studies, worksheets and tools for planning and implementing
a local CIT for Youth program. It was developed by NAMI's Child and Adolescent
Action Center (CAAC)
and CIT Technical Assistance Resource Center (CTARC)
under a grant from the Lincy
Foundation. Key
background facts include: ·
Thirteen percent of youth have mental illness severe enough to
impair daily functioning. ·
Fifty percent of lifetime mental illness begins by age 14. Only
about one-half of youth with mental illness get the treatment they need. ·
About half of those ages 14 or older with mental illness drop out
of high school. ·
Seventy percent of youth in the juvenile justice system have
mental illness, but the U.S. Department of Justice has found that juvenile
facilities do not adequately treat them. ·
Based on adult CIT experience, individuals with mental
illness diverted into treatment receive more counseling, medication and
other forms of treatment than others who are jailed or imprisoned. ·
CIT-trained officers are 25 percent more likely to transport an
individual for psychiatric treatment than other officers. Diversions by police
reduce first arrests and second arrests are reduced by 58 percent.
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.
When a Person with Mental Illness Goes to Prison...How to Help A Guide for Family Members and Friends
This guide was prepared by Alexandra H. Smith and Jennifer J. Parish of the Urban Justice Center’s Mental Health Project. Funding for this project was generously provided by the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation, the Open Society Institute, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness—New York State.
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/)
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