[NYAPRS Enews] MHASC Alert: Call Albany Today to Preserve the Promise of Prison MH Reform!

[Matt Canuteson]

NYAPRS Note: The Governor's budget proposal threatens to erode major
elements of the SHU law (the law ending the practice of solitary
confinement for prisoners with severe psychiatric disabilities), by
delaying its implementation, eliminating its application in half of the
state's prisons, and reducing mental health training for correctional
officers.

NYAPRS joins advocates from Mental Health Alternatives to Solitary
Confinement in urging legislators at today's Mental Hygiene budget
hearing to restore these provisions, you can do your part by making
calls to the key legislative officials mentioned below. Help us 'boot
the SHU' (inhumane solitary confinement settings called Special Housing
Units) by calling today!

 

 



Mental Health Alternatives to Solitary Confinement

 

Join The Statewide Call To Action!

Call The New York State Legislature TODAY!

 

Urge NYS To Keep Its Promise To Prisoners With Psychiatric Disabilities!

Last year the 'SHU' bill was passed and promised to allow New York State
to provide more appropriate and humane in-prison residential and
treatment services for prisoners with psychiatric disabilities. It also
ensured that correctional officers would be provided with adequate
mental health training, and significantly improved prison safety
conditions across New York State.

Although the law is not scheduled to take effect until 2011, this year's
Executive Budget proposes to diminish and delay, for an additional three
years, the protections afforded by the SHU bill, putting off
implementation of the bill until 2014.  

Further, accompanying Article 7 legislation calls for the elimination of
about half of the correctional beds from the requirements of the SHU
bill, and cuts the training requirements for correctional officers!

If approved, prisoners in nearly half of the SHU beds in the system
would not be entitled to a mental health assessment or removal from SHU,
despite the fact that an appreciable number of these prisoners receive
treatment for a mental illness.

 

Delaying And Weakening The SHU Law=A Broken Promise!!

 

We Urge the NYS Legislature To Keep Its Promise!

 

CALL THE FOLLOWING NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATORS NOW!

Assembly Ways And Means Committee, Chair, Herman D. Farrell 518-455-5491

Senate Finance Committee, Chair, Carl Kruger 518-455-2460

Senate Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities, Chair, Shirley
Huntley 518-455-3531

Assembly Committee on Mental Health, Chair, Peter Rivera 518-455-5102

 

Leave The Following Message:

"I'm a registered voter from (your locality) calling to urge you to keep
the promise made to NY's prisoners with psychiatric disabilities, by not
delaying or weakening NY's SHU Law."

 

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