4 months later Kathy Hochul Governor proposed Reformed to expand the laws of nations that provide treatment options and support for those with serious mental illness, and the demands for the days of those who have a mental illness crisis after two attacks last week have increased.
April 6, Brooklyn man The police attacked four young girls with a knife and a knife before they were shot. Two days later in Soho The man with a mental illness’s history stabbed a woman with glass pieces with unto -provocated attacks.
The incident with other events with other events Bronx murder In January, a 14 -year -old boy argued more controversial about Hochul’s proposal to strengthen his devotion and Kendra’s law.
One supporter is D-Brooklyn. In a statement by Bensonhurst’s attack, he expressed his support for legislation because he thought such a policy would not have occurred.
“First, we must be careful about how we identify what it means that we can’t take care of yourself,” Colton said. There must be processing protocols and facilities so that limited people do not simply be released back to the streets. “
For this story, many advocates who talked with Amnewyork said they oppose short -term treatment. NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Alliance) public policy and advocacy director Jonathan Jung insisted that the current law is not a long -term solution.
Jung said, “This is not a long -term plan.” This is the class of the problem, and it does not reach the root cause of the problem. “
It was proposed by Sam Pirozzolo (R-Staten Island) Request to repeat He says that criminals of violent attacks on rehabilitation centers are responding to non -developing devotion methods that provide short -term treatment rather than organ.
Pirozzolo said, “This is funny.” They came in and released to commit the same crime. It’s just a band -aid. “
At present, according to the Visa Promise Act, the hospital can have a threat to themselves or others for up to 60 days. The police and volunteer teams can also unconsciously devote anyone to the hospital. The governor wants Expand the definition of damage In her proposal.
Kendra’s Law, The name of a woman who was pushed in front of the subway in 1999 provides a framework for the treatment of foreign patients (AOT) for court order support for those who need mental illness and hospitalization. Hochul says she wants The court orders the treatment of outpatient patients and checks the improvements that people who need help can make voluntary check -in.
Find another way
Some of the NYC supports this proposal, but some Support arbitration Finally passed.
Introduced in 2023, the bill offers an opportunity to redefine vision hospitalization, including inability. To take care of their basic demandsIn addition to being threatened by others. During the press briefing last November Brian Stettin, a senior advisor to Eric Adams’ mental illness, explained that the current law is too vague in a way that someone is dangerous to him or others.
“The risk of self is more than just suicide, or is at risk of tremendous dangerous behavior or imminent physical damage,” Stettin said. “In addition, we cannot meet the basic human needs of food, clothing, shelter, and medical services, and we need to consider people who are in danger in that they are wasting slowly. It is motion self -destruction that we can see frequently on the streets and subways.”
In response to Hochul’s announcement in January, Mayor Adams said in a statement. “Because mental illness prevents mental illness from recognizing desperate needs, it is an unacceptable abolition to deny those who refuse to seek life and treatment. The ability to serve this population, including our city’s legal protocols, including our city protocol, can be helped by people who are struggling with serious mental illness according to the support arbitration. ”
Brooklyn Congressman Joann Simon (D-Brooklyn) believes it is not necessary because the laws such as the support arbitration law did not work.
Simon said, “It’s too short of shortsight.” This is not an answer. It may be part of the answer to some people, but what happens when you are unconsciously hospitalized? You are in a mental ward, you are not exactly a pleasant place. But the type of treatment you get is very basic and stabilized, released, and you will not provide you with life skills. So we think we are trying to squeeze square pegs in a round hole.
Jung said he did not support this law or idea that he strengthened his visionary dedication.
“The state already has an involuntary dedicated authority,” he said. “This demand for strengthening the law is actually changing what is needed and not enough funds. All smoke and mirrors.”
Breaking the cycle of recurrence
Harvey Rosenthal, CEO AllianceI also want to see more funds and training so that therapists and clinical trials can keep watching people who leave the hospital or treatment center early. In this way, they do not give up on people with mental illness and get trust and return to treatment.
“This will break the cycle of recurrence,” he said. “The hospital is too much. It is not right and the budget is not enough.”
Pirozzolo says this law is a good starting point, but needs more effort to achieve a goal.
“Who is a serious mental illness or a qualification to decide what is not? ” He says, “Assuming that a person hired to deal with this responsibility is knowledge in the field of mental health, do they know about the deep nuances that make up a variety of neighbors? Which part of the process where individuals or teams participate in the legal process? ”
One of the problems to be approached is a cultural and language barrier that many New York citizens can not be treated.
Both of the attacks of Bensonhurst Parliament member Leicester window And the city Susan Zhuang Residents of the Chinese American community pointed out that these two obstacles are not subject to mental health. AMNY agreed to solve these barriers.
Jung said, “I lack cultural capabilities and understanding, so I can get appropriate diagnosis.” I do not understand that everyone can go out and seek help. So NAMI wants to build a community as a curriculum. “
Assembling members Pirozzzolo and Simon have a problem with a wide variety of languages and cultural barriers. SIMON wants to see more clinical trials in various backgrounds, and Pirozzolo thinks that social workers and other experts are familiar with the community to serve.
Requests to strengthen non -bodied devotion are stigma around mental illness. Rosenthal wants to make it clear that people with mental illness are only 4% of violent attacks and are usually victims of violence.
“It’s relatively rare, but it gets a lot of attention when it happens. The reaction is always the same. The same terrible playbook.
Simon says: “It’s not a crime, so it’s not a mental health law. It’s not a crime to suffer from mental illness.
Hochul’s spokesman said in a statement on Amnewyork, “Providing treatment to those who face serious health risks due to mental illness is a merciful and human approach that all New York residents can recognize. The law is too high to work.
