The Catch-22 of our medical/legal system criminalizes mental
illness
Jerri Clark writes “I’m an active participant in NAMI programs and have met many
family members who are struggling to find intelligent help in the medical and
legal systems of Washington State.
Most of the stories I hear come from other mothers.
We are struggling to rescue our children from medical and
legal systems that don’t make any sense.
Our systems institute punishment when help is desperately
needed. They deny access to services and then blame individuals who are
severely impaired for not solving their own crises. They push people to a
precarious edge and then kick them off.”
On the evening of January 10, 2019, I was fortunate to view
Jerri Clark’s “Brief but Spectacular” video-essay on “Why
Mental Illness ‘Should Never be a Crime’”
At its conclusion, the anchor, Judy Woodruff, herself a mother of a
disabled son, was chocking back tears.
Some of you will find this
video perceptive.
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| Jerri Clark and her son, Calvin |
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