I’m a researcher who has done a lot of work understanding issues faced by families who have been impacted by incarceration. The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world and most scholars agree that the way we lock people up is not helping families thrive. Children of incarcerated parents face a host of issues that would be better if the parents were given help rather than being taken away from their kids.
So, I was glad to see this NYTimes opinion piece written by a NY District Attorney. He shares stats such as people with severe mental illness are more likely to encounter law enforcement than receive mental health treatment and approximately half of people in NY jails/prisons have been diagnosed with mental illness.
If we believe in supporting families and children, we need to create communities where people get the support they need! Please, take a moment to read this article (May is mental health awareness month!) and think about what you can do to better create a community where families are supported.
