July 14, 2015 The Honorable Charles E. Grassley Chair, Committee on the Judiciary 224 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Patrick Leahy Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary 152 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Bob Goodlatte Chair, Committee on the Judiciary 2318 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable John Conyers, Jr. Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary B-351C Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairmen Grassley and Goodlatte and Ranking Members Leahy and Conyers: Our diverse organizations represent law enforcement officers, judges, court personnel, corrections officers, policymakers, faith-based leaders, mental health professionals, and veterans service organizations. We come together to ask you to support S. 993/H.R.1854, the Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act (CJMHA) of 2015. This bipartisan bill, introduced by Senators Al Franken (D-MN) and John Cornyn (R-TX) and Congressmen Doug Collins (R-GA) and Bobby Scott (D-VA), is vitally important to the criminal justice and mental health fields. With decreasing mental health supports and services, an increasing number of people with mental illnesses are coming into contact with criminal justice system. The impact of this trend on people’s lives, public safety, the administration of the criminal justice system, and public expenditures is overwhelming. Throughout the criminal justice system, people with mental illnesses are overrepresented—in contact with law enforcement, in the courts, in jails and prisons, and in parole and probation caseloads across the country. According to a U.S. Department of Justice report, approximately 45 percent of people in federal prisons, 56 percent of people in state prisons, and 64 percent of people in jails displayed symptoms of a mental health condition. CJMHA expands the bipartisan, proven initiatives in the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA) of 2004, which improves access to treatment for people with mental illnesses involved in the criminal justice system by funding initiatives such as mental health courts and crisis intervention teams. To date, it has funded 115 mental health courts, supported 84 local police and county sheriff departments, and provided a total of 321 grants to 49 states, plus the District of Columbia, Guam, and American Samoa. CJMHA ensures a comprehensive response to individuals with mental illness in the criminal justice system, including support for veterans treatment courts, reauthorization of mental health courts and law enforcement training through MIOTCRA, increased focus on resources and training for jails and prisons, implementation of best practices for federal law enforcement, and innovative training at police academies. This important legislation will ensure that state and local governments can continue to design and implement sound initiatives that improve the criminal justice system, increase public safety, reduce state and local spending, and help individuals with mental disorders. The legislation was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in April and has 68 cosponsors in Congress.
Please support S. 993/H.R. 1854, the Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act. Sincerely, National Organizations 1. African Methodist Episcopal Church - Social Action Commission 2. American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy 3. American Association on Health and Disability 4. American Correctional Association 5. American Group Psychotherapy Association 6. American Jail Association 7. American Orthopsychiatric Association 8. American Probation and Parole Association 9. American Psychiatric Association 10. American Psychological Association 11. AMVETS 12. CIT International 13. Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE) 14. Corporation for Supportive Housing 15. Council of State Governments Justice Center 16. Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance 17. International Community Corrections Association 18. International CURE 19. Justice Fellowship/Prison Fellowship Ministries 20. Major County Sheriffs’ Association 21. National African American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc. 22. National Alliance on Mental Illness 23. National Alliance to End Homelessness 24. National Association of Counties 25. National Association of Drug Court Professionals 26. National Association of Police Organizations 27. National Association of Social Workers 28. National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors 29. National Council for Behavioral Health 30. National Criminal Justice Association 31. National Disability Rights Network 32. National Sheriffs’ Association 33. United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries State/Local Organizations Alabama 34. Alabama Sheriffs’ Association California 35. California State Sheriffs’ Association 36. Chief Probation Officers of California
Colorado 37. Mental Health America of Colorado Florida 38. Florida Sheriffs Association 39. NAMI Florida Illinois 40. Safer Foundation Indiana 41. Indiana Department of Correction 42. NAMI Indiana Iowa 43. Iowa Mental Health Planning Council 44. NAMI Greater Des Moines 45. NAMI Iowa Maryland 46. NAMI Maryland 47. NAMI Allegany County 48. NAMI Anne Arundel County 49. NAMI Metro Baltimore 50. NAMI Carroll County 51. NAMI Cecil County 52. NAMI Frederick County 53. NAMI Harford County 54. NAMI Howard County 55. NAMI Lower Shore 56. NAMI Montgomery County 57. NAMI Prince George’s County 58. NAMI Southern Maryland 59. NAMI Washington County 60. Prison Ministry Task Force, Episcopal Diocese of Maryland Massachusetts 61. Community Resources for Justice 62. Span, Inc. Michigan 63. Association for Children’s Mental Health 64. Citizens for Prison Reform 65. Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency Mississippi 66. Mississippi Department of Corrections Montana 67. Montana Board of Pardons and Parole Nevada 68. Nevada Department of Corrections New Hampshire 69. Halls of Hope Mental Health Court Advisory Council 70. Lara Saffo, Grafton County Attorney, North Haverhill, NH New Jersey 71. New Jersey Chapter, American Correctional Association 72. New Jersey Association on Correction
New Mexico 73. New Mexico Corrections Department Ohio 74. NAMI OH 75. Ohio Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence 76. Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Association Pennsylvania 77. Venango County Office of Public Defender South Carolina 78. Alston Wilkes Society 79. Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities, Inc. (P&A) Texas 80. Drug Policy Forum of Texas Utah 81. Det. Brandee Casias, CIT Utah Program Director Washington, D.C. 82. Church of the Brethren, Office of Public Witness 83. Safe Streets Arts Foundation West Virginia 84. West Virginia Division of Corrections Wisconsin 85. Wisconsin Department of Corrections Wyoming 86. Wyoming Department of Corrections