Mental health and criminal justice | Crystal Dieleman | TEDxMoncton
Summary
TLDRThis script addresses the misconceptions surrounding mental illness and violence, emphasizing that people with mental health issues are more likely to be victims than perpetrators. It discusses the reality of individuals with mental illness within the criminal justice system, highlighting that many interactions with law enforcement are non-criminal. The speaker calls for a more compassionate and inclusive approach, stressing the importance of community support for recovery and reducing re-engagement in criminal behaviors. The script concludes by urging individuals to consider their role in fostering inclusivity and providing opportunities for those with mental health challenges.
Takeaways
- π’ The media often exaggerates the link between mental illness and violence, leading to a distorted public perception.
- π₯ We're talking about people, not just illnesses or labels; it's important to humanize those with mental health issues.
- π¨π¦ In Canada, 20% of the population will experience mental illness at some point, making it a common part of society.
- π 40% of police contacts with people with mental illnesses are for non-criminal behavior, showing that not all interactions are due to crimes.
- π₯ Many with mental illness who interact with the criminal justice system are there for minor offenses, not violent crimes.
- π’ People with mental illness who are violent are not representative of the whole; they are more likely to be victims than perpetrators.
- π‘ Recovery from mental illness is possible and involves having a safe and secure place to live, among other basic needs.
- πΌ Employment and social connections are crucial for recovery and reducing the risk of criminal justice involvement.
- π« 'Not In My Backyard' (NIMBY) syndrome is a significant barrier to providing necessary support for people with mental illness.
- π Including people with mental illness in communities contributes to their recovery and the safety of the community as a whole.
- πͺ Everyone has a role to play in including those with mental illness in society, whether as landlords, employers, or community members.
Q & A
What is the main issue the speaker addresses regarding the portrayal of people with mental illnesses in the media?
-The speaker addresses the issue of media often focusing on tragic and violent events involving people with mental illnesses, which results in an exaggerated public perception of the relationship between mental illness and violence.
What is the actual percentage of the population that experiences mental illness in Canada?
-One in five people, or 20% of the population, will experience a mental illness during their lifetime in Canada.
What was found in the study about police contact with people with mental health problems?
-The study found that 40% of police contact with people with mental illnesses was for non-criminal behavior, such as unusual or bizarre actions in public places or attempts at suicide.
What are some of the minor offenses for which people with mental illnesses are often arrested?
-People with mental illnesses are often arrested for minor offenses such as shoplifting, theft, public disturbances, vandalism, and destruction of property.
Why are some people with mental illnesses not considered good predictors of violence?
-The speaker explains that mental illness is not a good predictor of violence because people with mental illnesses are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators.
What are the key factors that people with mental illnesses need to recover and reduce the risk of criminal justice involvement?
-People with mental illnesses need a safe and secure place to live, structure in their lives, meaningful activities, gainful employment, relationships, social connections, opportunities to participate in their communities, and to be treated with dignity and respect.
What is the 'not in my backyard' (NIMBY) syndrome, and how does it relate to mental health?
-The 'not in my backyard' syndrome refers to the resistance to having resources or facilities for people with mental illnesses in one's own neighborhood. It's a barrier to providing necessary support and inclusion, which is crucial for their recovery and reducing the risk of violence.
How can community members help include people with mental illnesses in their communities?
-Community members can help by offering housing opportunities, employment, volunteering opportunities, and social connections to people with mental illnesses, ensuring they have the resources and support they need.
What is the speaker's stance on balancing public and personal safety with the inclusion of people with mental illnesses?
-The speaker suggests that while maintaining public and personal safety is important, it should not come at the expense of excluding people with mental illnesses from communities, as inclusion is key to their recovery and reducing the risk of criminal behavior.
What is the role of community members in building healthy and safe communities for everyone?
-Community members play a crucial role in building healthy and safe communities by ensuring that everyone, including those with mental illnesses, has access to resources, supports, services, and opportunities.
Outlines
π° Media Portrayal of Mental Illness and Violence
The speaker addresses the media's tendency to focus on rare but tragic and violent events involving individuals with mental illnesses, leading to a distorted public perception of the link between mental health issues and violence. They aim to clarify misconceptions and discuss the reality of people with mental illness within the criminal justice system. The speaker emphasizes that we're talking about people, not labels, and highlights that 20% of the Canadian population will experience mental illness at some point in their lives. They discuss how not all interactions between the police and individuals with mental health problems are due to criminal behavior, and how many people with mental illnesses are more likely to be victims of violence rather than perpetrators.
π Overcoming Barriers to Inclusion for Mental Health Recovery
The speaker discusses the barriers that people with mental illnesses face in accessing necessary resources and support, such as safe housing, employment, and social connections. They touch on the 'Not In My Backyard' (NIMBY) syndrome, which contributes to the exclusion of these individuals from communities. The speaker argues that including people with mental illnesses in communities is crucial for their recovery and for reducing the risk of criminal behavior. They encourage the audience to consider their own power to include others, whether as landlords, employers, or community volunteers, and to take responsibility for ensuring that everyone has access to the resources and opportunities they need for a healthy and safe community.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Mental Illness
π‘Criminal Justice System
π‘Stigma
π‘Deinstitutionalization
π‘Not in My Backyard (NIMBY) Syndrome
π‘Recovery
π‘Vulnerability
π‘Community Inclusion
π‘Safe and Secure Place to Live
π‘Meaningful Activities
π‘Humane Treatment
Highlights
The media often exaggerates the link between mental illness and violence, leading to a distorted public perception.
Despite rare occurrences, the public is led to believe there's a high risk of being harmed by someone with a mental illness.
Discussing the reality of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system is crucial for clarity.
Mental illness affects 20% of the population in Canada, indicating widespread familiarity with the issue.
40% of police contacts with individuals with mental health problems are for non-criminal behavior.
Many people with mental illnesses who interact with the police do not commit crimes.
Individuals with mental health issues are often arrested for minor offenses.
Mental illness is not a reliable predictor of violence; in fact, they are more likely to be victims.
Recovery from mental illness requires similar conditions to reduce criminal justice involvement.
Basic needs for recovery include safe housing, structure, meaningful activities, employment, and social connections.
The 'Not In My Backyard' (NIMBY) syndrome is a significant barrier to providing necessary support for people with mental illness.
Exclusion from communities is linked to violence, while inclusion promotes mental health recovery.
Individuals and communities have the power to include people with mental illness through housing, employment, and social opportunities.
Public safety and personal precautions should not overshadow the responsibility to ensure everyone's well-being.
Building healthy and safe communities requires collective effort and the provision of resources and opportunities for all.
Transcripts
the news media often focuses on tragic
and violent events involving people with
mental illnesses and despite the fact
that these events are relatively rare it
has resulted in us the general public
having an exaggerated perspective of the
relationship between mental illness and
violence it's also resulted in us having
an exaggerated perspective on the risk
of being personally harmed by a person
who has a mental illness and so tonight
I'd like to take a few minutes to briide
some clarity about the reality for
people with mental illness who've become
involved with the criminal justice
system so let's start for a minute by
talking about what we're really talking
about here and first and foremost we're
talking about
people we're not talking about illnesses
and disabilities we're not talking about
crimes and criminals we're not talking
about patients or clients or con or
inmates or offenders or consumers or
survivors or any other label that you
can think of we're talking about
people and some people get
sick in Canada one in five people will
experience a mental illness during their
lifetime that's 20% of the population
and that means that most if not all of
us know someone a family member a friend
a coworker who experiences mental health
problems
some of these people right who have a
mental illness become involved with the
criminal justice
system but not all of them have
committed a
crime there's a study that was done uh
in a Canadian city a number of years ago
and they were looking at police contact
with people with mental health problems
and one of the things that they found is
that
40% of police contact with people with
mental illnesses was for non-criminal
Behavior
so that would include say an individual
who's walking through a shopping
district perhaps acting unusually or
bizarrely the people around them are
concerned or uncomfortable and so they
contact the police the police may come
have a conversation with the person
maybe they offer to call someone for the
person maybe they offer to drive the
person home this may also include
someone who is attempting suicide and so
someone calls 911 and the police respond
and they work to deescalate
the situation and then take the person
to hospital so that they can receive
care many people with mental illnesses
of course are arrested for criminal
behaviors some of them or the majority
of them are for relatively minor
offenses so things like shoplifting
theft public
disturbances um vandalism destruction of
property those kinds of
things some of those those people will
go to forens will be found not
criminally responsible and they'll go to
a forensic psychiatric facility to
receive care many of them will be found
criminally responsible and they will
face sentencing through the
courts however there are people who have
mental illness who do engage in violent
behaviors however mental illness is not
a good predictor of violence and in fact
people who have mental illnesses are
quite vulnerable and are much more like
to be victims of violence than they are
to be violent
themselves so if this is kind of a
snapshot of the experience of people
with mental health problems who get
involved with the criminal justice
system and Recovery is
possible what do people
need interestingly what people need to
recover from their mental health their
mental illness is remarkably similar to
what they need in order to reduce the
risk of being involved with the criminal
justice system any further right so
here's the list right they need a safe
and secure place to live a place that
they can afford they need structure in
their lives and meaningful activities
that they can engage in every day they
need gainful employment and a source of
income they need relationships
relationships with family friends
co-workers neighbors they need social
connection they need opportunities to
participate in and contribute to their
communities they need
the opportunity to determine for
themselves who they are and what they're
going to do with their lives and they
need to be treated humanely with dignity
and
respect now looking at this list I think
most of us can agree that these things
are not extreme or unreasonable right in
fact these are things that we all need
or want for our own
lives so what's the problem
well that's a complex question there are
complex problems we know that there are
legislation and policy barriers we know
that there is a fragmented and poorly
resourced system of services right we
all hear about Staffing shortages we
hear about weight lists we hear about
communication problems and problems with
the flow of
information but situated in that is
arguably one of the most profound
barriers to people getting the things
that they
need and that's
us the nimi phenomenon or the not in my
backyard syndrome was first identified
in the 1960s and 1970s as the
deinstitutionalization movement was
gaining momentum and it arose in
response to um efforts to secure
community supported housing for people
with mental illnesses and people with
developmental disabilities who are being
moved out of long-term Hospital
hospitals so this is an us and them
mentality okay so we understand and we
may even have compassion for the fact
that people need a place to live but we
don't want them to live on our street
and we don't want them to live in our
neighborhood right we understand that
people need jobs and that they need a
source of income but we don't want them
working in our
workplace and we believe that people
should be contributing to their
communities but we don't want them
volunteering side by side with us
and in this way we deny people the
things that they need the most right
they need a safe place to live they need
a job they need connections to their
community and healthy
relationships we exclude people from our
communities and while mental illness is
not a predictor of violence excluding
people from communities is linked to
violence so
conversely including people in our
communities contributes to mental health
recovery and contributes to reducing the
risk of people um re-engaging in
criminal
behaviors so what power do you
have to include people in your community
are you a landlord or a property manager
is there a vacancy in your building you
have the power to give someone a place
to live are you an employer are you
hiring in your workplace right now you
have the power to give someone a
job are you a volunteer in your
community you have the opportunity to
provide a connection for someone who may
not have any other social
connections I'm not suggesting that we
set aside our concerns about public
safety and I'm not suggesting that we
set aside the precautions that we take
for personal safety
what I'm saying is that we all have a
responsibility to the people around us
to ensure that everyone has the things
that they need resources supports
services and opportunities so that
together we can be more effective in
building healthy and safe communities
for everyone thank you
[Applause]
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