A Baltimore mother recently faced an unbelievably difficult decision: Her 20-year-old mentally disabled son was arrested, and she wasn’t sure she should bail him out of jail.
She turned to a resource guide just published by NAMI-Metropolitan Baltimore, a local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, aimed at helping family members and caregivers navigate the world where the mental health and criminal justice systems collide.
“He just can’t make the right choices,” the woman, who asked that she not be identified, said of her son.
Right on page 27 of the book, called “Beyond Punishment,” this mother found a list of questions that helped her decide whether to bail out her son, which she ultimately decided against.
The resource is the first of its kind to compile facts, tips and phone numbers for those involved with the criminal justice system. With fact sheets and questionnaires, the 70-page book helps caretakers and others know what questions to ask and what steps to take.
“When you are in a crisis, you might not be the best communicator,” said Kate Farinholt, executive director of NAMI-Metropolitan Baltimore.
Resources scattered around the country have “bits and pieces” of this information, but an organization had yet to pull it together in once place, she said.
Beyond Punishment is
www.nami.org/MSTemplate.cfm?Section=Mental_Health_Crisis_and_Criminal_Justice_Resources&Site=NAMI_Metropolitan_Baltimore&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=68587 available for free on the organization’s Web site, and bound copies will sold through www.Amazon.com.
People and families dealing with mental illness often feel isolated and stigmatized, making it harder to navigate an already confusing legal system, Farinholt said.
NAMI-Metropolitan Baltimore officials often get calls from family members unsure where to turn when their mentally ill relative has been arrested, said Mary Porter, a program associate who worked on the book.
The person might not have their medications, or the family doesn’t know how to locate specific services, she said,.
“When you are a family member and you don’t have the information,” Porter said, “it is a frightening and lonely and mystifying experience.”
The book simplifies a complicated process for families and health providers, said Dimitrios Cavathas, director of community services for People Encouraging People Inc., a nonprofit behavioral health organization.
“Since the criminal justice system is so fragmented and complex,” he said, “it is critical that there is a resource that is a one stop piece of information.”
