Panel of Experts Discusses “Addressing the Mental Health Crisis Behind Bars”

Last Thursday, WNYC—one of New York’s flagship public radio stations—and Vera Institute of Justice partnered to host the event: The Current State of Institutionalization: Addressing the Mental Health Crisis Behind Bars.

The event was part of WNYC’s current series “Breaking Point: New York’s Mental Health Crisis” which is a four-part series, hosted by WNYC reporter Cindy Rodriguez, examining the connection between poverty, mental health and the criminal justice system.

Thursday’s event kicked off with opening remarks from New York City First Lady Chirlane McCray and included a panel of experts to discuss the following key topics:

• Systemic issues driving the over-representation of people with serious mental illness in courts, jails, and prisons in New York and across the nation
• The impact of mental health on public health and safety
• Types of reforms to the mental health and justice systems necessary to address the crisis

The event was livestreamed and is now available to view in full. Watch it now to hear from the panel, moderated by Rodriguez and featuring the following experts:

• Ezekiel Emanuel and Dr. Dominic Sisti, authors of the recent commentary “Bring Back the Asylum” in the Journal of the American Medical Association

• Francis Greenburger, founder and president of the Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice

• Robert Bernstein, director of the Bazelon Center

• David Cloud, leader of Vera’s Justice Reform for Healthy Communities initiative