A drum call to gather the population on San Quentin’s Lower Yard was made on Sept. 9 for the “Hope” themed opening of Mental Wellness Week. Incarcerated men answered the drum call of L. Williams, who works in SQ’s mental health department, visitor Serigne Sowto and sat down in a drum circle. They learned to play traditional West African rhythms like the Sente, Danza, and Dun Dun Ba Ba by hand on a congos bass. “Drumming is recreation- al therapy, and it helps the men in the community, so I thought it could help men in here … [Read more...] about Message of Hope for Mental Wellness Week at SQ
National Alliance on Mental Illness
More inmates taking meds for mental health issues
The number of offenders in county jails on psychotropic medications increased 25 percent in 45 California counties in the past five years, reports California Health Policy Strategies (CHPS) for Kaiser Health News. The Kaiser Health News report shows that a shortage of community-based treatment centers have made county jails a warehouse for mentally ill people. A separate report by the Council On Mentally Ill Offenders (COMIO) found that the mental health prison population grew from 19 percent in 2006 to 30 percent in 2016. Since the … [Read more...] about More inmates taking meds for mental health issues
Tulsa county jail’s mental health pod a step in the right direction
The Tulsa, OK, county jail used to place their mentally ill inmates in the same bare cells as everyone else. Now, the jail sports a new mental health pod, where some of those inmates can access a more relaxed and therapeutic environment, according to a report from the Tulsa World. That is a step up, proponents say, but it’s not a solution. The root of the problem, David Van Risseghem of the Public Policy Committee for the National Alliance on Mental Illness told the World, “we’re criminalizing mental illness. We’re punishing people … [Read more...] about Tulsa county jail’s mental health pod a step in the right direction
Police continue to shoot about 1,000 people a year
987 people were fatally shot by police officers in 2017 Police across the country shot and killed approximately the same number of people in 2017 as they did in each of the previous two years. Because there is no official nationwide tally of fatal police shootings, The Washington Post took charge and has compiled the most accurate accounting of these incidents – 2,945 shooting deaths in all since 2015, with roughly 1,000 each year. According to the Post’s report, 987 people were fatally shot by police officers in 2017. “The numbers indicate … [Read more...] about Police continue to shoot about 1,000 people a year