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flytweed t1_j90wgu1 wrote

So proud and grateful we have this!

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SwummySlippySlappy t1_j91vq6s wrote

> “Officers are very good at responding to a mental health call, but then where do we go?” New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson said. “For us, that officer has to respond to the next call.”

Idk, I get the feeling that this partnership is so cops don’t accidentally kill someone having a mental health related episode, which we hear so often about in this country. Regardless, this is definitely a step in the right direction and worth investing more into. Excited to see where this leads.

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m11cb t1_j92awkz wrote

Yikes, this is not a good idea. It's so frustrating when govt continually ignores research that shows these types of programs seldom work, if anything, they further criminalize and stigmatize mental health issues, especially for poor & homeless folks.

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brew-ski t1_j95zkfr wrote

Are you familiar with the program? They're bringing in social workers and mental health professionals to help folks going through a hard time, instead of criminalizing their behavior.

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m11cb t1_j961mqc wrote

Social workers and many health care professionals are also a part of our justice system in some capacity and do criminalizing work. Its not just the police, its the police and every institution that prioritizes police involvement over community care. There is overwhelming research from various institutions and universities showing that vulnerable and marginalized people benefit from police absence. That includes social workers, who often are obligated to work directly with police, which has produced a long legacy of negative results.

There's a district that took that research into consideration and removed both cops and state social workers from their schools - the results were extremely positive for the mental health of both the students and teachers. Our vulnerable populations, especially youth and mentally ill folk, deserve so much better than the program New Haven is planning to implement.

Here's the article for reference: https://inthesetimes.com/article/the-city-that-kicked-cops-out-of-schools-and-tried-restorative-practices-instead

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m11cb t1_j96378d wrote

Here's another article that shows research & analysis that programs like these aren't beneficial to anyone but the police and state employees, who always see increased budgets from the revamped PR it provides. These social workers and police decrease public safety when it comes to health, especially mental health and substance abuse support: https://newrepublic.com/article/167627/defund-social-workers

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