March is National Criminal Justice Month, and advocates say people with mental illness are over-represented in jails and prisons.

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, 43% of people in state prisons and 44% of people in local jails have been diagnosed with a mental-health disorder.

The Care Not Criminalization Campaign, with a focus on decriminalizing mental illness and substance abuse in Michigan's Black and Brown communities, highlights the inadequacy of incarceration as a solution.

Nick Buckingham is co-founder of Michigan Liberation, which is leading this campaign.

He emphasized that many in the BIPOC community are unfairly represented in the criminal-justice system - and argues that instead of incarceration, individuals should receive proper mental-health diagnosis and support, as jail often fails to address the underlying issues and change behavior effectively.

"In Michigan, a lot of our institutions that house folks with mental illness have been closed down," said Buckingham, "and prisons and jails have become a holding spot for a lot of these folks."

Governments writing the laws and the judicial system often default to a tough on crime attitude, with the intention of protecting the public from often frightening situations.

But Buckingham said the campaign hopes to addresses stigmas related to substance use and encourages community members to engage with advocacy groups discussing these issues openly.

He said having these conversations and avoiding microaggressions or misjudgments will prevent relying on incarceration as a sole method of rehabilitation.

He also reminded folks that calling 988 for support is another resource.

Buckingham said the stigma around mental health is deeply criminalized in our communities.

He said we don't know how to identify with mental health, and if something seems off or odd about an individual in a community, the police are called on them and we may call them a criminal.

"And what we've seen in the past is," said Buckingham, "interactions with the police can ultimately lead to a police killing, a shooting, or somebody with one of these conditions being harmed in our community."

Buckingham said his group campaigns to help people with mental-health needs get support in all areas of the criminal justice system.

He said that when an individual with a known real diagnosis of a mental-health condition goes to court, having diversion programs within the courtroom help divert that person away from any type of incarceration.

"Locking a person up, putting them into a cage, or putting them into hostile environments is only going to make that condition more worse," said Buckingham. "And it also puts the staff of that jail or that prison at harm's risk."




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Indiana families are preparing kids for back-to-school season, and mental-health experts say emotional readiness is just as important as school supplies.

Beth Trammell, a psychologist and professor at Indiana University East, said kids often carry anxiety into the new school year. She encouraged parents to help children identify those fears.

"We as parents or caregivers think, 'Don't worry, or don't stress.' Instead, we might want to say, 'OK, well, let's talk about what it is you're worried about. What is the worst thing you think could happen?' If we draw it out of them," she said, "it may give them space to kind of let that out."

Helping kids feel heard can reduce stress. But experts also urge balance, keeping mornings calm, easing into routines, and not overloading schedules the first few weeks.

Nicole Brady, chief medical officer at UnitedHealthcare, said mental-health support should remain a priority throughout the year.

"Though we want our kids to be involved in activities and be social," she said, "we have to watch their academic performance, their mood, those sleep patterns, and making sure that those are staying healthy."

Brady added that parents should talk regularly with kids, model healthy coping and seek help early if warning signs appear.


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After a legislative session which opened doors to expand mental health care services across Montana, a state commission said it is considering the Billings area to build the state's second forensic facility.

For people involved in Montana's justice system whom a judge has deemed not mentally fit for their own defense, there are 53 beds in the state's only forensic facility in Galen. The daily waitlist hovers at about 100 people.

Matt Kuntz, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Montana, said it is not meeting the immense need.

"It's just a really bad situation for the people that are in the jails, for the people that are caring for them, for the taxpayers," Kuntz outlined. "It just doesn't work for anybody."

At a recent commission meeting, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton said the state is identifying a location for a new facility. The department received nearly $27 million from the state in April to fund project planning.

Kuntz noted the Montana Legislature passed many bills this session centered on mental health care.

"We really were able to get big wins in access to outpatient care, access to crisis care and for people in need of forensic hospital," Kuntz explained. "Overall, it was really an amazing legislative session for Montanans with mental health conditions."

Other mental health legislation will boost school-based services, youth in residential care, the state's 988 crisis line and certified community behavioral health clinics.


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The California Parent and Youth Helpline is in serious jeopardy after Gov. Gavin Newsom cut it from the new state budget, saying the money was needed to support medical services.

Advocates said they are puzzled because the governor has championed the helpline for years, and lawmakers approved $3 million from a separate fund dedicated to mental health, which does not affect the deficit.

Lisa Pion-Berlin, president and CEO of the nonprofit Parents Anonymous, which runs the helpline, said it is still operating 24/7, for now.

"We're holding on for the next month or so," Pion-Berlin pointed out. "But we need the state to step up, or one of these well-off philanthropists who cares about having that immediate help for emotional support, which is so vital."

Advocates are hoping funding can be restored via a budget trailer bill in the next few weeks. People can call or text and reach the helpline's trained counselors at 877-427-2736. The free helpline has connected with more than 120,000 people since its inception five years ago, and the website CAParentYouthHelpline.org has reached a million more.

Pion-Berlin noted a study in the Journal of Technology in Human Services found a call to the helpline can quickly ease parents' suffering and feelings of isolation.

"The research said that 85% of the callers in less than 30 minutes feel more positive, more hopeful and able to address their issues," Pion-Berlin reported. "There is no other service or pill I know that can do that in 30 minutes or less."

Parents Anonymous also offers free weekly support groups to steer parents and kids through emotional crises of all kinds.