New York States most effective and affordable program to help the mentally ill and prevent crime is being held up by the New York State Assembly and Senate mental health committees. That's unfortunate for people who care about the mentally ill, public safety, and New York's massive deficit.
New York State Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther (D), a former nurse with experience working on a psychiatric unit and State Senator Catherine Young (R), a fiscal conservative who cares about people with mental illness introduced the Kendra's Law Improvement Act (A6987/S4881) with 35 co-sponsors from both parties. The New York State Assembly and Senate should quickly pass it. Governor Cuomo should sign it. It improves care for people with serious mental illness, keeps patients and the public safer, and does it all within the constraints of the new fiscal reality.
Kendra's Law was originally proposed by Eliot Spitzer and subsequently endorsed, supported, and improved by Assembly leader Sheldon Silver (D) and former Governor George Pataki (R). Kendra's Law allows a small group of habitually violent mentally ill to be court ordered into treatment as a condition for living in the community. It also allows courts to order the reluctant mental health system to provide the care. Liberals like the New York Times endorsed Kendra's Law when proposed because it improves care and works. Conservatives like the NY Daily News endorsed Kendra's Law because it saves money and works. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) endorsed Kendra's Law because it keeps their mentally ill loved ones out of jails. NYS Sheriffs, Attorney Generals and Police Chiefs all endorsed Kendra's Law.
Kendra's Law research shows it
reduces homelessness (74%); suicide attempts (55%); and substance abuse (48%); physical harm to others (47%) and property destruction (43%). It saves money by reducing hospitalization (77%); arrests (83%); and incarceration (87%). 81% of patients in the program said it helped them get well and stay well.
A February 2010 study by Columbia University found individuals given mandatory outpatient treatment -- who were more violent to begin with -- were nevertheless four times less likely than members of the control group to perpetrate serious violence after undergoing treatment.
A study just published in the May 2011 Issue of Psychiatric Services says the odds of arrest for a violent offense were 8.61 times greater (p
But legislatively mandated research also showed ways to improve Kendra's Law so more who could benefit from it get access. That's where the Kendra's Law Improvement Act comes in:
- It closes the crack in the system that allows mentally ill prisoners to be discharged into the community without screening to determine if they need court ordered treatment to stay healthy and prevent them from becoming violent.
As Gannett News reported this weekend, some providers of mental health services oppose reforming Kendra's Law. Hence the delay in the Assembly and Senate mental health committees. The providers don't like the provision of the law that requires them to admit the most seriously ill to their programs. They would rather cherry pick the easiest to treat and leave the rest to the criminal justice system. But the mental health committees should overrule the providers of services and side with families of the mentally ill, people with mental illness, and the criminal justice system. Sending the seriously ill to the front of the line, rather than the back is exactly what we should be doing.
Last week, mentally ill Syracuse resident Benjamin Campione was shot by Syracuse police who felt threatened by a pellet gun Mr. Campione pulled on them. Mr. Campione is dead. Kendra's Law should be reformed so others don't suffer the same fate.
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Action:
Call 518.455.4218 and ask to be connected to your NYS assembly member (they will tell you who it is, you don't have to know before calling). Tell the staff member who answers that you are a "constitutent" and want them to "co-sponsor A 6987", to help people with mental illness. More info on Kendra's Law here.
5/13/2011: Headline and lede changed to acknowledge that big benefit of Kendra's Law is that it helps people with mental illness (in addition to increasing public safety).