RIPPD joins Occupy the Bronx
December 9th, 2011RIPPD joins OCCUPY THE BRONX as they take back Bronx County! Lisa Ortega Speaks at General Assembly!
Community Crisis Intervention Team CampaignJuly 11th, 2011
Yesterday’s CCIT event went really well. We had about 30 people show up from RIPPD and other community organizations. We had a press conference where several members of the community spoke and then Sgt. Malin came outside and personally accepted the proposal. We will follow up with him in a week’s time. We will post reports/stories as we locate them. Here are a couple to start
http://www.google.com/hostednews/epa/article/ALeqM5gsg_qjjVhH-lKzSkspRT1qryrazg?docId=1442506
Community Crisis Intervention TeamsJanuary 14th, 2011For Immediate Release for Thursday, January 13, 2011 MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES PRESENT PLAN TO NYPD FOR IMPROVING RESPONSE TO CRISIS SITUATIONS Successful Elsewhere, NYPD Looking to Bring “Community Crisis Intervention Teams” to NYC Today, mental health advocacy group Rights for Imprisoned People with Psychiatric Disabilities (RIPPD) presented a plan to the NYPD outlining how to implement Community Crisis Intervention Teams (CCITs) in New York City in 2011. After outreach from RIPPD last year, the NYPD requested a pilot proposal for a CCIT program in NYC, including funding and how to engage members of the mental health community. “Today, when New York City officers respond to a mental health crisis, they bring no specific knowledge or training versus responding to another call. That’s simply unsafe for both New Yorkers in need of help and for officers themselves,” said Lisa Ortega at Rights for Imprisoned People with Psychiatric Disabilities (RIPPD). “New York is taking a bold step towards more effective policing. We are thrilled to work with the NYPD to bring this tried-and-true tool here, to save lives and to ensure New Yorkers who need mental health help get it instead of jail time.” Currently used in over 100 major cities, CCIT programs divert individuals in crisis from the criminal justice system and provide linkage to community-based treatment and support services. The individual thus avoids or spends a significantly reduced time period in jail/prison. Furthermore CCITs improve safety for officers responding to crisis calls. Currently, officers respond to mental health crisis with tactics used for the rest of the population. RIPPD’s CCIT proposal requires police officers and 911 dispatchers to receive 40 hours of training that teaches them to recognize signs of mental illness so they can identify symptoms in individuals. The training program also covers de-escalation techniques, so that police and dispatchers can refocus on diverting individuals into treatment. “Improved training and a focus on diverting people from jail and delivering access to treatment is a win-win: it’s the best outcome for the officers in these potentially dangerous crises, and for those who are mentally ill,” added Mary Dougherty, Co-Coordinator of RIPPD. In addition to training, crisis teams would be formed in every precinct. These teams, consisting of trained officers, peer specialist and mental health workers, would operate on a 24 hour basis, prepared to respond to any crisis calls dispatched to their jurisdiction. Central to RIPPD’s proposal and to the implementation of CCITs is the development of an oversight committee. This committee would be formed to ensure that consistency is maintained across the precincts, and that best practices are identified and shared with the program as a whole. Community Crisis Intervention Teams provide a significant advance in the treatment of individuals with mental illness and represent a positive hope for the future. Programs can be developed at little or no cost with funding currently available through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grants program (http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/) as well as other well known NY based foundations. According to former training commissioner for the New York City Police Department, James Fyfe, the NYPD responds to a call involving a person with mental illness every 6.5 minutes. Raising Awareness, Building CommunitiesJuly 2nd, 2010Only a few more days! Please come out and support this important event! Mental Illness is not a Crime!!! No more Deaths! No more Arrests! NYPD is still resistant to implementing Community Crisis Intervention Teams (CITS) in NYC Let’s continue to push NYPD to change the way they deal with our community, especially people with mental illness. CITSs have a proven track record of de-escalating situations and saving lives. This event will let the NYPD know that we are not going to stop until CITs are implemented in NY. We will have free entertainment and speakers (open mic). If you are interested in performing, speaking or just attending this free event please call or email. Lisa Ortega Aug 7 at 1:00 PM In Our Own Words…July 1st, 2010In Our Own Words is a space for people to share their struggles through story, poetry, art, music, etc. Anyone who has been effected by the criminalization of mental illness is welcome to submit their work to lortega@rippd.org or mdougherty@rippd.org and it will be feature on this page. Click here to see our latest entries. RIPPD on WBAIMarch 14th, 2010COMMUNITY CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM ROUNDTABLEFebruary 21st, 2010ACTIVISTS JOIN POLICE TO ADDRESS POLICE INTERACTIONS WITH PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS. In light of recent events, including the fatal tasering of Iman Morales, a 35 year old man with mental illness, by the NYPD, Rights for Imprisoned People with Psychiatric Disabilities (RIPPD) will be hosting a roundtable discussion on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 from 1:00 PM till 4:00 PM. This roundtable will bring together people with psychiatric disabilities who have first-hand experience with the criminal justice system, the NYPD and police from Westchester County who are using Community Crisis Intervention Teams (CITs) to improve police interactions with people with mental illness. A discussion on the current state of the New York City Police Department and how CITs can be implemented to best service people with psychiatric disabilities will take place. “The New York City Police Department is in a state of crisis. Police officers have little or no understanding of mental illness and how it can play out in a given situation. Instead officers respond to mental health crisis calls using existing tactics. With no community involvement or accountability, the police response to these calls usually ends in harm to police and more often the person in need of help It is necessary for New York to take example from Westchester, Chicago, Los Angeles and other big cities who are proactively addressing this problem with community crisis intervention teams.” Leah Gitter, member of RIPPD. According to former training commissioner for the New York City Police Department, James Fyfe, the NYPD responds to a call involving a person with mental illness every 6.5 minutes. The NYPD does not currently have an adequate response system in place to appropriately handle these calls, some of which result in the unnecessary harm of people with mental illness as well as the responding officers. Furthermore there is no system of accountability in place when injury or death occurs. It is necessary for the entire community to come together to ensure that people in mental health crisis have access to safe diversion and treatment. There are over 80 cities and counties in the United States, including Westchester County, NY, currently employing alternative models such as Community Crisis Intervention Teams. These teams have been noted as decreasing the arrest rate of people with mental illness as well as creating more safety for officers. The roundtable will take place at 520 8th Ave, #2203 (Manhattan). Police and social workers from Westchester County, NY will share their experiences with CITs, speaking to the effectiveness of such programs and the need for them in NYC. It is in the best interest of New York City for all involved parties, including those directly affected and police officers, to work closely and collaboratively to ensure appropriate positive change within the NYPD. Please join us as we bring this important change to life. Please contact RIPPD for more information. Lisa Ortega at lortega@rippd.org Mary Dougherty at mdougherty@rippd.org |
