Social Policy and Change: Mar 21, 2012

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

In wake of black teen Trayvon Martin's death, USA is soul-searching – USATODAY.com

In wake of black teen Trayvon Martin's death, USA is soul-searching – USATODAY.com:

Everyone should be out in the streets marching. If it were your child, what would you be doing? Thomas Jefferson stated "Experience hath shown, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operation, perverted it into tyranny." Henry David Thoreau, an American Libertarian writer, stated "Whatever the human law may be, neither an individual nor a nation can commit the least act of injustice against the obscurest individual without having to pay the penalty for it." Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American poet, stated "Truth is the summit of being; justice is the application of it to affairs." Ralph M. LaFollette, American political & reform leader, stated "Let no man think that we can deny civil liberty to others and retain it for ourselves...." Clarence Darrow, an American lawyer, stated "As long as the world shall last there will be wrongs, and if no man objected and no man rebelled, those wrongs would last forever." Finally, Louis D. Brandeis, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, stated "Crime is contagious. If the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for the law." If you do not take a stand, you will fall for anything. Where do you stand? Are you scared to stand up?

CJ/MH Consensus Project: Congressional Staff Briefed on Law Enforcement Responses to People with Mental Illnesses

March 2012 newsletter

Congressional Staff Briefed on Law Enforcement Responses to People with Mental Illnesses

Washington, D.C. — Law enforcement officials, judicial leaders, and behavioral health experts came together on March 6 to brief Congressional staff on the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA) and the collaborative criminal justice-mental health programs that it supports. Dr. Fred Osherof the Council of State Governments Justice Center, Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County (MD) Department of Police, Inspector Bryan Schafer of the Minneapolis (MN) Police Department, and Judge Steven Leifman of Miami-Dade County Court spoke to key stakeholders and staff from numerous congressional offices, representing members of both parties.

As some of the nation's foremost experts on implementing collaborative criminal justice-mental health programs, the panelists each shared their perspectives and/or experiences. Their testimonies underscored the fact that programs supported by MIOTCRA and similar grant initiatives are contributing in significant ways towards ending the cycles of arrest and incarceration for people with mental illnesses.

To continue reading, click here.

New JMHCP Grantees Convene for Orientation and Training

On March 8-9, the Council of State Governments Justice Center, in conjunction with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), U.S. Department of Justice, hosted the fourth annual orientation event for new Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) grantees in Washington, D.C. During the event, FY 2011 grantees learned about keys to success in developing successful criminal justice/mental health collaborations, as well as the requirements of the grant program.

U.S. Senator Al Franken welcomed the grantees via a videotaped message (see below), in which he stressed the importance of interagency collaboration to respond to people with mental illnesses in the justice system and the diversity and strengths of the FY 2011 JMHCP grantees.

To continue reading and to view Senator Franken's opening remarks, click here.

Sen. Franken Expresses Support for MIOTCRA and Specialized Police-Based Responses

Washington, D.C. — On February 15, Senator Al Franken (D-MN) expressed support for the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA), the legislation that authorizes the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on federal funding for bulletproof vests. Senator Franken probed the topic of using specialized police-based responses for people with mental illnesses in the criminal justice system.

To continue reading and to view video from the hearing, click here.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Apply to Participate in Sequential Intercept Mapping Workshop by SAMHSA'S GAINS Center

SAMHSA's GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation, operated by Policy Research Associates, Inc. (PRA), is soliciting applications from communities interested in sequential intercept mapping workshops.

The target audiences for this workshop are criminal justice system, mental health, and substance abuse professionals; consumer representatives; community support services representatives; cultural organizations; elected officials; and other key stakeholders.

To download the Sequential Intercept Mapping solicitation, click here. To learn more about the training, click here.

The GAINS Center will offer these trainings free of charge to up to six selected communities between May 2012 and September 2012. Since the purpose of this training initiative is to offer targeted technical assistance and training to prepared communities in the field, there are no fees for registration, tuition, or materials associated with these trainings.

Applications are due no later than April 6, 2012.

Apply to Participate in Trauma-Informed Training by SAMHSA'S GAINS Center

The target audiences for this training are community-based criminal justice system professionals - including police, community corrections (probation, parole, and pre-trial services officers), and court personnel - and human service providers. The training is being offered in two formats: a training delivery and a training of trainers.

To download the How Being Trauma-Informed Improves Criminal Justice System Responses training delivery/training of trainers solicitation, click here. To learn more about the training, click here.

Training will be offered free of charge to up to six selected communities between May 2012 and September 2012. Since the purpose of this training initiative is to offer targeted technical assistance and training to prepared communities in the field, there are no fees for registration, tuition, or materials associated with these trainings.

Applications are due no later than April 6, 2012.

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Stratton and Attorney General Mike DeWine Co-Chair Expanded Task Force on Criminal Justice and Mental Illness

On November 16, 2011, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton and Attorney General Mike DeWine announced that the Advisory Committee on Mental Illness and the Courts (ACMIC) would evolve into the Attorney General's Task Force on Criminal Justice and Mental Illness, allowing the group to expand into areas beyond the court system. The new task force is being co-chaired by Justice Stratton and Attorney General DeWine, and had its first meeting Dec. 12, 2011 at the Ohio Supreme Court.

To continue reading, click here.

CJ/MH IN THE NEWS

Articles from newspapers around the country covering issues at the intersection of mental health and criminal justice can be found on the Consensus Project website. Some recent headlines are posted below.

The Altoona Mirror (PA) — County could add specialty courts

3/18/12 — "A state report released late last year shows that number of specialty courts in Blair County is second only to Philadelphia County's 11 courts."

Winston-Salem Journal (NC) — Forsyth County begins mental-health court to help defendants get treatment

3/14/12 — "On Wednesday, Forsyth County held its first mental-health court session, designed to get treatment for mentally ill people caught up in the criminal justice system."

Gainesville Times (GA) — The Local Agenda: Enotah Circuit begins mental health clinic

3/13/12 — "A new program aimed to get mentally ill nonviolent offenders treatment rather than just jail time is getting under way in the Enotah Judicial Circuit."

The Salt Lake Tribune (UT) — Salt Lake County launches mobile units to help with mental health emergencies

3/13/12 — "For the first time, Salt Lake County residents will have somewhere to turn besides an emergency room or 911 when they or their loved ones are psychotic, having a panic attack or considering suicide."

The Gadsden Times (AL) — First steps taken toward Tuscaloosa County mental health court

3/10/12 — "Indian Rivers Mental Health Center soon will hire a therapist and a case manager to evaluate Tuscaloosa County Jail inmates and determine the correct course of action for offenders with mental illnesses."

The Andalusia Star-News (AL) — Mental health: Working on logistics

3/9/12 — "State mental health officials on Thursday said they are working on the logistics of treating those needing significant mental health treatment once most of the state's mental hospitals are closed."

Michigan Live (MI) — Gov. Rick Snyder's proposal will add funding for mental health court, treatment in Saginaw

3/7/12 — "Gov. Rick Snyder's public safety announcement in Flint today included plans to create a mental health court in Saginaw that will aim to fight recidivism by getting people with mental illness the help they need rather than locking them up."

Post Crescent (WI) — Outagamie County to expand court treatment programming

3/5/12 — "Programs dealing with the root causes of crime rather than simply punishing criminal behavior represent a growing trend in courts across the country. Outagamie County is no exception."

Juneau Empire (AK) — Pilot-project mental health court set to to come to Juneau

3/2/12 — "Beginning in April, people with mental health issues who are charged with a city misdemeanor will have a new option available to them instead of just a lock and key and time behind bars."

The News-Sentinel (IN) — Crisis Intervention Team's training teaches principles of mental health response

2/22/12 — "On Tuesday, Fort Wayne Police Department Sgt. Scott Berning was teaching members of law enforcement new ways of approaching people suffering from 'excited delirium syndrome.'"

The Spectrum (UT) — Road to rehabilitation: Mental health court celebrates first anniversary

2/19/12 — "A court program designed to help people driven to criminal behavior by uncontrolled mental illnesses celebrated its first anniversary recently in Washington County, with a dozen select participants working toward rehabilitation."

New JMHCP Grantees Convene for Orientation and Training

Sen. Franken Expresses Support for MIOTCRA and Specialized Police-Based Responses

Apply to Participate in Sequential Intercept Mapping Workshop by SAMHSA'S GAINS Center

To download the Sequential Intercept Mapping solicitation, click here. To learn more about the training, click here.

Applications are due no later than April 6, 2012.

Apply to Participate in Trauma-Informed Training by SAMHSA'S GAINS Center

To download the How Being Trauma-Informed Improves Criminal Justice System Responses training delivery/training of trainers solicitation, click here. To learn more about the training, click here.

Applications are due no later than April 6, 2012.

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Stratton and Attorney General Mike DeWine Co-Chair Expanded Task Force on Criminal Justice and Mental Illness

The Altoona Mirror (PA) — County could add specialty courts

3/18/12 — "A state report released late last year shows that number of specialty courts in Blair County is second only to Philadelphia County's 11 courts."

Winston-Salem Journal (NC) — Forsyth County begins mental-health court to help defendants get treatment

3/14/12 — "On Wednesday, Forsyth County held its first mental-health court session, designed to get treatment for mentally ill people caught up in the criminal justice system."

Gainesville Times (GA) — The Local Agenda: Enotah Circuit begins mental health clinic

3/13/12 — "A new program aimed to get mentally ill nonviolent offenders treatment rather than just jail time is getting under way in the Enotah Judicial Circuit."

The Salt Lake Tribune (UT) — Salt Lake County launches mobile units to help with mental health emergencies

The Gadsden Times (AL) — First steps taken toward Tuscaloosa County mental health court

The Andalusia Star-News (AL) — Mental health: Working on logistics

Michigan Live (MI) — Gov. Rick Snyder's proposal will add funding for mental health court, treatment in Saginaw

Post Crescent (WI) — Outagamie County to expand court treatment programming

3/5/12 — "Programs dealing with the root causes of crime rather than simply punishing criminal behavior represent a growing trend in courts across the country. Outagamie County is no exception."

Juneau Empire (AK) — Pilot-project mental health court set to to come to Juneau

3/2/12 — "Beginning in April, people with mental health issues who are charged with a city misdemeanor will have a new option available to them instead of just a lock and key and time behind bars."

The News-Sentinel (IN) — Crisis Intervention Team's training teaches principles of mental health response

2/22/12 — "On Tuesday, Fort Wayne Police Department Sgt. Scott Berning was teaching members of law enforcement new ways of approaching people suffering from 'excited delirium syndrome.'"

The Spectrum (UT) — Road to rehabilitation: Mental health court celebrates first anniversary

Congressional Staff Briefed on Law Enforcement Responses to People with Mental Illnesses

It's Not the Mayo - Please read

ONIONS! I had never heard this!!!

PLEASE READ TO THE END: IMPORTANT

In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people there was this Doctor that
visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu.

Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it and many died.

The doctor came upon this one farmer and to his surprise, everyone was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home, (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn't believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping the family healthy.

Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser. She said that several
years ago, many of her employees were coming down with the flu, and so were many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work. Try it and see what happens. We did it last year and we never got the flu.

Now there is a P. S. to this for I sent it to a friend in Oregon who
regularly contributes material to me on health issues. She replied with this
most interesting experience about onions:

Thanks for the reminder. I don't know about the farmer's story... but, I do
know that I contacted pneumonia, and, needless to say, I was very ill... I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion put it into an
empty jar, and place the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the
onion would be black in the morning from the germs... sure enough it happened just like that... the onion was a mess and I began to feel better.

Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around
the room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have powerful
antibacterial, antiseptic properties.

This is the other note.

Lots of times when we have stomach problems we don't know what to blame. Maybe it's the onions that are to blame. Onions absorb bacteria is the reason they are so good at preventing us from getting colds and flu and is the very reason we shouldn't eat an onion that has been sitting for a time
after it has been cut open.

LEFT OVER ONIONS ARE POISONOUS

I had the wonderful privilege of touring Mullins Food Products, Makers of
mayonnaise. Questions about food poisoning came up, and I wanted to share what I learned from a chemist.

Ed, who was our tour guide, is a food chemistry whiz. During the tour, someone asked if we really needed to worry about mayonnaise. People are always worried that mayonnaise will spoil. Ed's answer will surprise you. Ed said that all commercially-made mayo is completely safe.

"It doesn't even have to be refrigerated. No harm in refrigerating it, but
it's not really necessary." He explained that the pH in mayonnaise is set at
a point that bacteria could not survive in that environment. He then talked
about the summer picnic, with the bowl of potato salad sitting on the table, and how everyone blames the mayonnaise when someone gets sick.

Ed says that, when food poisoning is reported, the first thing the officials
look for is when the 'victim' last ate ONIONS and where those onions came
from (in the potato salad?). Ed says it's not the mayonnaise (as long as
it's not homemade mayo) that spoils in the outdoors. It's probably the
ONIONS, and if not the onions, it's the POTATOES.

He explained onions are a huge magnet for bacteria, especially uncooked
onions. You should never plan to keep a portion of a sliced onion... He says it's not even safe if you put it in a zip-lock bag and put it in your
refrigerator.

It's already contaminated enough just by being cut open and out for a bit,
that it can be a danger to you (and doubly watch out for those onions you
put in your hot dogs at the baseball park!). Ed says if you take the leftover onion and cook it like crazy you'll probably be okay, but if you slice that leftover onion and put on your sandwich, you're asking for trouble. Both the onions and the moist potato in a potato salad, will attract and grow bacteria faster than any commercial mayonnaise will even begin to break down.

Also, dogs should never eat onions. Their stomachs cannot metabolize onions.

Please remember it is dangerous to cut an onion and try to use it to cook
the next day, it becomes highly poisonous for even a single night and
creates toxic bacteria which may cause adverse stomach infections because of excess bile secretions and even food poisoning.

Good friends are like stars....
You don't always see them, but you always know they're there

ABC7 eNews

MOST POPULAR

TODAY'S WEATHER OUTLOOK

85°F

63°F

Pleasantly warm with the temperature breaking the record of 77 set in 1938 with sunshine and some clouds

Hour-by-Hour | 7 Day Forecast | Radar & Satellite

TONIGHT ON ABC

2012 Illinois Primary: Election Results

Get updated election results from the Illinois Primary. Click Here.

Illinois primary gives Romney 41 delegates
Romney: Illinois win an 'extraordinary victory'
U.S. Rep. Jackson wins in remapped 2nd District
Democrat Brad Schneider wins in 10th Congressional District
Duckworth wins in 8th Congressional District

Baker & Nosh: Uptown's artisanal bread, cheese shop

A new wave of bakeries is popping up in Chicago -- one of the best, Baker & Nosh, is in the unlikely neighborhood of Uptown.

SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS

I'd like to receive the following newsletters from abc7chicago.com

Daily Weather | Daily News | 190 North

Exclusive: Bob Kerrey On His Uphill Senate Race

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

THE BIG STORY, BY MATT TAYLOR

Bob Kerrey, Running As A Bipartisan Democratic Populist

The former Nebraska governor running to win back his old seat in the U.S. Senate told The National Memo in an exclusive interview Tuesday that he was lured back into public life by something many consider increasingly elusive: the potential to solve nagging national problems the old-fashioned way, with strong bipartisan cooperation. But that doesn't mean he will abandon the populist fight.

"When men and women go to work and obey the law, they should share in the results of the production," said Kerrey, usually a centrist Democrat. "And the market won't always value them the way we value them personally, the way we value teachers or the people who manufacture our products. The market won't always place the same value and we'll have to adjust with laws and taxes, or trade policies." READ MORE

Send To A Friend >>

MY FRONT PAGES, BY JOE CONASON

Paul Ryan's Plan For American Decline

If the foreign adversaries and competitors of the United States imagined a future that would fufill their most ambitious objectives, it might begin with a government crippled by the House Republican leadership's "Ryan budget" released on Tuesday. Following its path would lead America rapidly toward a withered state, approaching the point where Marxian dreams and Randian dogma converge.

Or at least that's the view suggested by the sober analysts at the Congressional Budget Office, whose report on the Ryan budget shows that nearly every department of government today, from law enforcement and border patrols to scientific research, food safety, environmental protection, federal highways, national parks, weather monitoring, education, and all other essential functions would take a big hit. Defense, of course, would increase. But in a demoralized nation stripped of science and infrastructure, exactly what would be left to defend? READ MORE

Send To A Friend >>

FEATURED COLUMN: GENE LYONS

Why We Don't Need Another Needless War... In Iran

Short of openly endorsing the GOP nominee, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bellicose stance appears contrived to put Obama in a corner: damned if he doesn't, ruined if he does. Meanwhile, the prospect of war in the Persian Gulf has driven the world price of oil sky-high, a boon to speculators and GOP candidates. READ MORE

Send To A Friend >>

ELECTION 2012

Romney Routs Little Ricky In Illinois

Mitt Romney took yet another stride toward the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday night, routing Rick Santorum in the Illinois primary for his third straight big-state win and padding his already-formidable lead in the race for convention delegates. READ MORE

Send To A Friend >>

FEATURED COLUMN: LEONARD PITTS JR.

Bruce Springsteen Captures The State Of America

That is what America is -- hope and defiance in the face of challenge -- and there is something oddly patriotic in Springsteen's evocation of that in these hard times. Not the easy patriotism of Lee Greenwood's song and children waving sparklers on July 4th, but the hard and determined patriotism of those who will be down, but never stay down, never accept the gap between the America that is and the one that ought to be. READ MORE

Send To A Friend >>

DIRTY POLITICS

Guess Which Filmmakers Don't Like Rick Santorum?

The U.S. adult film industry's movers and shakers are not happy -- and accused Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum on Monday of pandering to conservative voters when he vowed to crack down on their business if elected. READ MORE

Send To A Friend >>

CARTOON OF THE DAY

Send To A Friend >>

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

March 2012 newsletter

Top Stories

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

MORE STORIES

MOST POPULAR

85°F

63°F

TONIGHT ON ABC

SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS

Swine Flu Pandemic

Civil Rights

The White House Blog

Site Meter Counter/Tracker

Illinois Recovery Program Website

Federal Housing Authority

Federal Housing Authority

Economic Stimulus Package

Associated Press

Blog Archive

Illinois Governor Blagojevich selling the government to the highest bidder: Federal Complaint

America's Campaign to Change Wal-Mart

Followers

CNN

Newsvine

Subscribe To C.L.I.C.K. for Justice and Equality

The failure of Illinois' Sheridan Project: What will McCain or Obama do about reducing recidivism?

Apostolic Church of God

T.D. Jakes

God's Army

Senator Barack Obama

Senator John McCain

C.L.I.C.K. for Justice and Equality

C.L.I.C.K.'s TownHall Website

C.L.I.C.K's Weblog

Newsvine

Men & Women Against Discrimination

Sunlight Foundation - Knowing how your elected officials operate

Townhall: Where your opinion counts

U.S. Federal Laws and U.S. State Laws

Law and Public Policy

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

National Right To Work Legal Defense Foundation

American Center for Law and Justice

Hugh Hewitt

Real Clear Politics

Trial Lawyers for Public Justice

Citizens for Legal Responsibility

People for the American Way

Illinois Executive Clemency or Expungement

The Consequences of Ideas

Michael Savage"s Social Justice

Fight for Justice