NAPO meets to discuss Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act
On Sept. 20, NAPO, together with other organizations committed to mental health issues within the justice system, met with Senator Al Franken( D-Minnesota) to discuss efforts to pass his Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act( CJMHA), S. 993, through the House. NAPO has been working with this coalition of organizations since the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act( MIOTCRA) was signed into law in 2004.
S. 993 passed the Senate on Dec. 12, 2015, but the House has not moved on the bill. NAPO is working on a two-pronged approach to pass the bill:( 1) pass it as part of a bipartisan comprehensive mental health package that Senators John Cornyn( R-Texas) and Lamar Alexander( R-Tennessee) are trying to move through the Senate before the end of session; and( 2) pass it as a standalone bill through the House.
With decreasing mental health support and services, an increasing number of people with mental illnesses are coming into contact with the criminal justice system, which puts incredible strain on the system as well as public safety, state and local budgets, and people’ s lives. 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.
The CJMHA would improve outcomes for the criminal justice system, the mental health system and for those with mental health
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conditions by doing the following, among other things:
1. Extending the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act( MIOTCRA), and continuing support for mental health courts and specialized law enforcement crisis intervention teams;
Authorizing investments in veterans treatment courts, which serve arrested veterans who suffer from PTSD, substance addiction and other mental health conditions;
Supporting state and local efforts to identify people with mental health conditions at each point in the criminal justice system in order to appropriately direct them to mental health services;
Increasing focus on corrections-based programs, such as transitional services that reduce recidivism rates and screening practices that identify inmates with mental health conditions;
Supporting the development of curricula for police academies and orientations; and
Developing programs to train federal law enforcement officers in how to respond appropriately to incidents involving a person with a mental health condition.
NAPO-endorsed bill to strengthen ability of U. S. to extradite cop-killer moves in House
On Sept. 22, the Walter Patterson and Werner Foerster Justice and Extradition Act, H. R. 2189, was approved by a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee, moving the bill one step closer to full action in the House. NAPO endorsed H. R. 2189, sponsored by Congressman Chris Smith( R-New Jersey), because we strongly feel that the U. S. Government’ s inability to extradite violent criminals who flee to other countries is a growing issue. By implementing the Walter Patterson and Werner Foerster Justice and Extradition Act, Congress will take an important step toward improving U. S. international extradition policy and create a consolidated collection of information that will enable state and federal agencies, as well as courts, to strengthen U. S. international extradition efforts.
Your Nominations Make the Difference for TOP COPS!
This year marks the 24th year NAPO has produced the TOP COPS Awards ®. The awards dinner will take place on May 12, 2017, again coinciding with Police Week. The TOP COPS Awards Dinner will be at the Omni Shoreham Hotel located in Washington, D. C. Over the next few months we will be asking for your assistance in three major areas in which you, our members, can help to ensure the success of TOP COPS ®: nominations, sponsorships and show attendance. Today, we want to ask for your assistance with the first and most fundamental component, nominations.
The nomination form can be downloaded from the NAPO website, www. napo. org / files / 5814 / 5583 / 4244 / NominationForm2017. pdf. Please feel free to duplicate and post it anywhere you feel it is appropriate. We would especially like to see forms posted in association offices and departments with the hope that your members will feel inclined to nominate the great cases / officers they have come into contact with over the past year. d