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“Crime, Punishment, and Redemption for My Son with ADHD” – ADDitude

This article chronicles the struggles of Kathleen Ryan's son, who suffered from ADHD and had frequent run-ins with the law. Read more.
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A Mentally Ill Inmate Was Dragged From a Cell. Prison Staff Now May Face Punitive Damages – The Sacramento Bee

Attorneys for mentally ill inmates in Sacramento have alleged that nine California Department of Corrections employees are liable for malice and oppression related to a 2012 cell extraction. Read more.
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Psychiatrist Recalls ‘Heartbreak And Hope’ On Bellevue’s Prison Ward – NPR

On this episode of Fresh Air, Bellevue Prison psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Ford discusses her experiences treating inmates suffering from mental illness. Read more.
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North Miami Cop Charged in Shooting of Autistic Man’s Unarmed Therapist – The Miami Herald

A police officer is now facing criminal charges for shooting an autistic man's unarmed therapist last year in North Miami. A bystander recorded this incident on his cell phone and posted the video online, which brought criticism of law enforcement's…
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Yoga Helps At-risk Girls Cope with Trauma, Georgetown Law Report Finds – PR Web

Georgetown Law's Center on Poverty and Inequality released a report this week on specialized yoga programs. The report found that such programs can help at-risk girls overcome the harmful effects of childhood trauma. Read more.
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What Kind of Help Does the Constitution Require for Defendants in Capital Cases? – SCOTUS Blog

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court will revisit  Ake v. Oklahoma, in which the Court held that a psychiatrist must be appointed to an indigent defendant who demonstrates that his or her mental health is likely to play a significant role at…
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Two Faces of Mental Health Policing – WSAU

In this interview, Officer Barb Gerarden and Officer Kami Allen discuss how the Green Bay Police Department has made reforms to address mental health and criminal justice. Read more.
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Mom Films Cops Arresting 10-Year-Old Son with Autism at School – The Huffington Post

Last week, a 10-year-old boy with autism was arrested on a warrant at his school in Okeechobee. The boy had allegedly attacked a school employee in November of 2016 and was suspended and then homebound. The boy and his family were not informed…
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How Florida Entraps Pain Patients, Forces Them to Snitch, Then Locks Them Up for Decades – Reason

Two decades ago, Florida enacted strict mandatory minimum sentences for opioid-related crimes. Critics, however, argue that this laws are too harsh. Read more.
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Mentally Ill Could Be Charged With “Hate Crime” Under Proposed Bill – North Carolina Health News

A proposed "Blue Lives Matter" bill in North Carolina has some mental health professionals concerned. HB 181 includes a section that would classify assault against emergency personnel—law enforcement officers, emergency medical technicians,…
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Adam Hall Tried to Kill Himself in Prison. And Got Six More Years – The Village Voice

This articles narrates the incarceration of Adam Hall, a man who has suffered from severe mental illness his whole life—going in and out of psychiatric facilities since childhood. In 2006,  Hall was sentenced to prison for three years; however,…
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Inside The Hole: What Happens To The Mind In Isolation? – NPR

In this episode of NPR's Hidden Brain, Dr. Keramet Reiter discusses the practice of solitary confinement and its effects on the human brain. Read more.  
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Does the Death Penalty Target People who are Mentally Ill? – The Washington Post

This week, The Washington Post published Dr. Frank R. Baumgartner and Betsy Neill's analysis on the use of the capital punishment on people with mental illness.  While the majority of Americas oppose the execution of people with mental illness,…
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Research into Veterans’ Substance Misuse – University of Northumbria at Newcastle

The release of new research study at the University of Northumbia in Newcastle has led to some insight about alcohol abuse among veterans of the British military. The study found that a veteran with substance abuse problems took, on average,…
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Malheur County Murder Suspect Feigned Insanity for 20 Years to Avoid Prison – The Malheur Enterprise

After 20 years in a state hospital in Oregon, a murder suspect has finally admitted that he was pretending to be mentally ill to avoid prison time. No longer adjudicated mentally ill, Tony Montwheeler was released, despite professionals' warnings. Now,…