Conferences
NAMI NH Conference 2000
On Saturday, October 21, 2000, in what represented many months of research and negotiation, NAMI NH presented a conference on the difficult issue of "The Law, Justice and Mental Illness".
Speakers from across the country shared their experience with more than 150 conference attendees. Ron Honberg, Deputy Executive Director of Legal Services, NAMI, opened the conference by pointing out just how great an effect a small state like New Hampshire can have on the national dialogue concerning mental illness. He pointed to the legal proceedings underway in Hillsborough County as an illustration of the organization supporting and mobilizing the community towards change.
Lt. Sam Cochran of the Memphis Police Department shared with us his story of the development of a Police Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) in the city of Memphis that has turned the police approach to interventions with the mentally ill on its head. Police officers volunteer to be part of the CIT and in turn receive 40 hours of training through a partnership among mental health professionals, police, and the mentally ill and their families. The program demands a level of responsibility and accountability from the police that not only helps with the interaction involving mentally ill persons but makes for better police officers all around.
Judge James Cayce and Program Assistant Kari Burrell next shared with the conference participants the road to the King County, Washington's mental health court. Borrowing from a successful program in Broward County, Florida, the court offers mentally ill individuals who are jailed on misdemeanor charges to work with a team led by a Judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, defense social worker, treatment court liaison and probation officers. The benefit to the individual is that they waive their right to trial on the merits of the case and enter into a diversion or plea agreement emphasizing community based treatment. Formal Program Evaluation demonstrated that as the number of treatment episodes increased, the time in detention decreased and there was a decrease in the rate of new bookings for those who participated.
It is fortunate that members of the audience included judges from District and Probate Courts in New Hampshire as well as members of law enforcement. They heard these presentations with a level of enthusiasm that indicated their interest in taking this dialogue to the next level. By afternoon, conference attendees were given the option of attending one of nine different breakout sessions on specialty topics.
One of the joys of living in New Hampshire is that a few individuals can make a difference. A few people can recognize a problem, wrap their arms around it and make it better. The Court has acknowledged problems in dealing with mentally ill offenders for a long time. NAMI NH can be proud to have energized its audience and demonstrated helpful alternatives.
