CARE Team Expands a Nonviolent Mental Health Crisis Response To All Chicago
The alternative crisis response program will increase staff and vans, but advocates are still pushing for longer hours.
Josh's Latest Articles
Opioid Overdose Deaths Plunge in Oregon
Drug overdose deaths fell 13.9% nationally from 2024 to 2025. The state with the biggest decline was Oregon, with a 35% decline.
Chicago Research Team Working to Help 988 and 911 Work Better Together
In a new report, experts weigh in on how 988 and 911 can work together to ensure that people in crisis get the help they need.
Illinois Mental Health Courts Offer Treatment Over Prison. Is it Working?
A joint investigation into Illinois mental health courts reveals a system of "mixed results," where life-changing success stories meet high barriers to entry and unequal access.
When Kids Comes to the ER with Mental Health Needs
A recent study finds that the judgment calls made when triaging young people with mental health emergencies in the ER are often inaccurate, and Black and Hispanic children are more likely to have their conditions minimized.
Prison or Treatment? Thousands Participate in Mental Health Courts. Millions are Left Out
The courts can offer treatment and a path away from incarceration. But in Illinois, only half of participants graduate, and many who might benefit never get a chance.
NAMI Director Explains New Laws to Keep People with Mental Illness out of Jail
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is advocating for state laws to divert people with mental illness from jail and into treatment, highlighting Florida's Tristin Murphy Act as a national model.
How Medicaid is Helping People Leaving California Prisons
Changes to federal law allows Medicaid to provide health and other services to people exiting prisons. California and some other states are making use of the program, but expansion efforts will depend on the Trump administration.
Photo Essay: Looking Back at a Historic Fight Against Solitary Confinement in California
A decade after a historic hunger strike, a visual essay explores the lasting psychological impact of solitary confinement on survivors who spent decades in isolation.
A Cat Named OJ and the Incarcerated Women Who Love Him
What started as a fundraiser for a sick cat that had been adopted and cared for by women at a Texas prison led to social media fame, $11,000 in donations, and a retaliatory stint in solitary confinement.
Countering Bias in San Diego 1 Laser Pulse at a Time
The Clean Slate program in San Diego provides gang tattoo removal benefits to formerly incarcerated individuals, helping them reduce stigma.
Torment and Trial: A Boston Globe Columnist Discusses Her Series on Race, Insanity and Criminal Prosecutions
A MindSite News interview looks a a columnist's seven-part series on the insanity defense in criminal cases.
System Failure: a California Man’s Two-Decade Struggle to Get the Right Care
A California mother has worked for decades to get the right care for her mentally ill son. It hasn't worked. The podcast Brain Stories tells theirs.
The ICE Effect: Immigrants, Already Traumatized, Face Neglect in New York Jail
MindSite News spoke to a civil rights attorney about the harsh conditions for immigrants held at a New York jail.
Mentally ill and starving to death in American jails
An investigation has documented dozens of cases where people with severe mental illness, many of whom were jailed during a crisis, have starved or died from neglect in U.S. county jails.
Shadow Arrests: When a Call for Help Turns Into Involuntary Commitment
Thousands in crisis are being involuntarily hospitalized despite little evidence of effectiveness.
Gulf War Vet Horrified by Prison’s Mental Health Crisis
In a first person essay, Derek Carter narrates his time volunteering as a peer counselor at his former South Carolina prison.
Coming Medicaid Cuts Spell Disaster for People Needing Addiction Services, Especially Coming Out of Jail
Medicaid cuts being advanced by the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans could gut addiction services.
The Grieving Children Left Behind By Gun Violence
New Orleans is aiming to become a model in helping children who have lost parents to gun violence by building an "ecosystem" of mental health support.
Is Chicago’s Mental Health Crisis Response Team Ready to Go Copless?
A new evaluation of Chicago’s alternative crisis response team (CARE) finds a low threat of violence and offers insights other cities may find useful.
A New Documentary Explores the Truth Behind the Infamous Stanford Prison Experiment
We interview the new film's director and one of its participants. We also have a reported essay on what it’s like for people with Attention Deficit Disorder in real prisons.
988 Crisis Line Rolls out Georouting Technology, Giving Crisis Counselors a Better Idea of Caller’s Location
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will deploy technology that routes calls based on their proximity to cell phone towers, preventing confusion and delays, the Biden administration announced.
A Grieving Family Still Awaits Justice
One year after Abnerd Joseph's killing, his family wants to know: Why has the man who shot him not been charged?
That Crisis of Mentally Ill People Languishing in Jail? It’s Even Worse Than We Thought
The number of mentally ill people held in jails for weeks or months awaiting competency hearings is rising. Experts call it a crisis.