Inside the Story: Transgender and Incarcerated
A conversation with journalist Lee Romney about the failure of California prisons to uphold a state law aimed at protecting transgender prisoners.
Josh's Latest Articles
Lockdowns, the New Prison Management Tool
Lockdowns have become the new normal in Wisconsin prisons. We talk with a journalist and a psychiatrist about the effects. Plus: expanding involuntary commitment in New Jersey.
Florida’s Baker Act Has Seized Kids & Adults for Forced Mental Health Holds Almost 2 Million Times in Past Decade. Are Advocates Finally Forcing Change?
In Florida, seizing children and adults and placing them on involuntary mental health holds happens so frequently, it has become a verb: Baker Acted – a reference to a 1971 law. That law was intended to reduce the horrors of asylum care while allowing mentally ill patients to be forcibly evaluated and treated. Instead, it has become a dragnet of sorts that brings hundreds of thousands of adults and children to mental health facilities.
Few People Know About the 988 Lifeline – and Many Who Do Fear Calling it Will Lead to a Police Response
Almost a year after the launch of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, only 13% of U.S. residents know the line exists and what it’s for – and many of those who do know are afraid that calling it will summon the police, according to a new survey.
White House Hosts Roundtable on Mental Health Crisis Among Young Black Men
Naheim Banks' mental health journey began in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. His father, seeing him buried in school work, said he looked like a painting of a man with the world on his shoulders. This week, Banks took part in a roundtable at the White House focused on drawing attention to the mental health crisis among young Black men.
Helping Black Men Heal
This month, we chat with an Army vet and retired corrections officer who is now a mental health advocate for Black men. We look at the lack of police officers trained in crisis intervention techniques in New Hampshire. And more.
Chicago experiments with crisis response
An in-depth look at Chicago's new effort to create a mobile response system – and the debate over the role police should play. Also, a Los Angeles mother struggles to get help for her son. And voices of people who have been involuntarily hospitalized in NYC.
Mental illness and the courts
Many defendants charged with misdemeanors or non-violent felonies spend excessive time in jail – often more time than if they were convicted – awaiting these mental health evaluations.
It’s transgender awareness week
Some states keep pushing anti-trans measures. The New York Times stirs the pot. And an Adderall shortage could spell trouble.
Can cash rewards help meth users quit?
California will soon become the first state to use Medicaid funds to pay meth users to quit and stay clean. We also check in on how an insomniac grapples with her bedtime screen habits, and share some tips for wintertime blues.
Covid kids face tough time in college
The pandemic kids are all grown up and starting college – and it's off to a rocky start. We also stop by the forensic unit at a state hospital in Pennsylvania that uses emergency psych meds 80% more than the state average. Plus, police reforms passed in the wake of George’s Floyd murder have faced pushback.
Introducing Diagnosis: Injustice
This is the inaugural edition of “Diagnosis: Injustice,” the MindSite News newsletter exploring the intersection of mental health and criminal justice, written by me, Josh McGhee. I’ve been reporting on criminal justice issues for more than a decade and it's truly my pleasure to break the fourth wall with you on this imperative topic.
Wisconsin best, Kansas worst in state rankings of mental health and services
This year’s State of Mental Health in America Report, produced by Mental Health America, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, painted a picture of a country experiencing high rates of mental illness, limited access to services and significant barriers to care.
In Chicago, Black Residents Calling 911 For Mental Crises More Likely to Face Tasers, Batons & Guns When Police Arrive
This past summer, the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline made its debut, creating an easy-to-remember phone number people can call to get help for a mental health crisis. Has it helped change the dynamic between police and people with a history of mental illness?
Family Tragedies Inspire Legislators to Form Caucus and Work to ‘Fix Broken Mental Health System’
As a high school student growing up in Utah, Daniel Thatcher grappled with depression and the suicide of a close friend. Now the Utah state senator is co-chair of a new legislative caucus working to improve mental health services across the country.