Dangerous Diagnosis: How the Legal System Fails Those with Mental Illness

Dangerous Diagnosis: How the Legal System Fails Those with Mental Illness

In 2020 the National Alliance on Mental Illness reported 21% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness. The American Psychological Association reports that these rates are much higher for people who are incarcerated, with 64% of people in jail, 54% of people in state prisons, and over 40% of those in federal prisons suffering from a mental illness. Unfortunately there is a significant lack of access to mental health support in the legal system and NAMI reports that as many as 50% of individuals taking medication for mental health conditions at admissions into the prison system did not continue to receive medication once in prison. 

Join us for a conversation with Matt Collinson, MHS '17, as he discusses how and why individuals with mental health and substance use disorders are pulled into the prison system and how disparities in access to treatment perpetuate a significant public health concern. 

This session will be virtual.