Kendra’s Law Program Was Meant To Fix Flawed Mental Health System, But Critics Say It’s Just A Band-Aid
Nearly two decades after Kendra's Law was instituted, following the shocking death of Kendra Webdale, advocates say it is underutilized and underfunded. The law was intended to plug the gaps in New York's mental health system that the man who killed Kendra slipped through.
The New York Times:
A Horrific Crime On The Subway Led To Kendra’s Law. Years Later, Has It Helped?
Nearly two decades ago, in a Manhattan subway station, a mentally ill man shoved Kendra Webdale, a promising young writer, to her death in front of an oncoming N train. It was a horrific crime that shocked the city and the nation, highlighting deep flaws in the care of seriously mentally ill people and spurring a wave of state laws that use court orders to move them into outpatient treatment. Last week, the man who killed Ms. Webdale, Andrew Goldstein, now 49, who has had schizophrenia since his youth, walked out of prison and into a mental health system that has been heavily influenced by his crime. (Watkins, 9/11)
In other mental health news —
The Oregonian:
New Mental Health Alliance Wants Say On Police Reform Settlement
A new alliance of mental health advocacy groups wants a seat at the table in the court's review of the city of Portland's four-year old settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice stemming from police use of excessive force against people with mental illness. The alliance was formed in July and is made up of Disability Rights Oregon, the Mental Health Association of Portland and Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare. The groups cite their experience and expertise as direct service providers to people with mental illness. (Bernstein, 9/11)
Wyoming Public Radio:
Schools Are Offered Mental Health Toolkit To Deal With Soaring Suicide Rates
A nine-year-old boy in Colorado took his own life on the first week of school this year. The tragedy highlighted a pervasive problem in the state and in the Mountain West region as a whole -- the high suicide rate -- especially among youth. (Budner, 9/11)
