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Michigan officials praise new laws to help people with MH issues
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
mental health weekly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7583
pISSN - 1058-1103
DOI - 10.1002/mhw.31727
Subject(s) - mental health , law , state (computer science) , legislation , political science , criminal justice , mental health law , economic justice , mental illness , praise , governor , health care , public administration , criminology , medicine , psychology , psychiatry , algorithm , computer science , physics , psychotherapist , thermodynamics
Michigan court officials are commending state lawmakers for passing and the governor for signing laws Dec. 28 that should improve mental health care for adults and juveniles, The Macomb Daily reported Dec. 29, 2018. State Court Administrator Milton L. Mack Jr. is pleased with three bills to reform the state mental health code to allow for earlier treatment of individuals who need mental health care services prior to a crisis involving the criminal justice system, state court administrative officials said in a news release. “This legislation is a monumental step forward and makes Michigan a national leader in making it easier to ask for outpatient mental health treatment — before a crisis and before contact with the justice system,” Mack said in the release. Statewide, there are 185 problem‐solving courts that focus on providing treatment and intense supervision to offenders as an alternative to incarceration, including drug, mental health, sobriety and veterans courts. Mack, former chief of Wayne County Probate Court, said the reforms respond to concerns in Michigan and across the nation that jails and prisons have become the primary institutions for people with mental illness. The state has awarded $5.2 million to fund the operation of 31 mental health courts in fiscal year 2019.