Illness and arent willing to take their medication, it just does not work. Too many of our mentally ill end up on the streets and in the criminal justice system. These are pictures of my son and another mothers son. We wanted to share with you so you can have an insight to our lives and our sons lives. My son could have never harmed anybody. The other son has lived on the streets for four years now. This mom told me when he was firstborn how beautiful he was. He was a 4. 0 student, he was extremely bright and invited to all the top schools. He now lives in city parks and on the street. Both of our families tried desperately to help our sons to try to prevent this. We could not. Our son first became ill after high school. He was supposed to go to college like many other peoples kids an then he had his first psychotic break. We could not get any help for him. When a person is left to decompensate to the point where they can not eat because they fear their food is poison or when they cant
See it myself the way its going. Just moving to the next question for maurice. Did you feel discouraged in your fight for innocence when you were incarcerated and did you feel like it was you against the system . Yes. I felt that, you know from day one. Because its like, even going through trial, it was like i felt that i had no way, story, even if my story was true, there was no way. My character, from where i was from, it was like, im already guilty. So for intimidation, i didnt feel intimidated. I always like i said, the hope i had from one end, it deteriorated from me even losing faith from the system and the police arresting me. The lawyers were the ones that helped me get out and the same people that i needed to help me get out were the ones that i was like mad at. So mad, my madness made me fight. So i stayed fighting but i never felt like it was going to be over. I got a niece that is 23 years old right now, even in 2011 when my case got over turned and i called her and i said
73,000 a month on health care for people picked up by paramedics and drunk in public and hospitals. I think thats good. I know in my program that 70 percent of people that enter the Program Complete a program and graduate and are 80 percent of employed and housed at the end of the program. We think thats good. And there are serial neeb rate programs across the united states. We have a call from ireland and alaska which begs the question how can you be homeless in alaska . But there are. If i were brought to a conference for the police, wed have a very different point of view. If i was at a conference for the District Attorney we might have a different point of view. The nice thing about this program is we are going to have a job. The police are going to arrest these. The attorneys are going to prosecute their cases and the public defenders is going to defend their client and everybody gets to do their job. They are going to do it legally, ethically, but we ask more that they do it mora
Issue of public pressure and understanding and really pushing applications legislators, everyone that you have an opportunity to talk to so that they understand whats at stake here because i do think that really, i really believe that americans are interested in fairness. I admit im a Glass Half Full person. I believe in fairness and its so primary of the way we think. You think of little kids arguing. Its one of the first arguments they have. Wait, she got more chocolate milk than me. Thats not fair. There is this primary interest that we believe in fairness. The challenge for us is how do we bring the public inside this world and make them understand that this is not fair and it has to change. Here is our first question from the audience and its a question i will put to the panel and any of you can respond. Its a great question. Is gideons promise does it extend to our nations immigrants when they are told to plead guilty and they are deported . I will start with that because i filme
A process under the act that is set up to protect peoples civil rights. One of the things in 1421 that hasnt been i am mplemented in the counties, the real issues as a matter of course is what is the process for hospitalization under the enforcement. Under this program, if someone misses a doctors appointment, they can call the police to take them to the upon the hospital for an evaluation. You might say there is something about that. But whe we see peoples interaction for service, when they see police and someone upfront, as a criminal or someone to be weary of or suspicious of or to the fact of a lesser member of society, when people have that experience, and it doesnt matter how many psychotic symptoms they have, they push back. Thats our human nature. What i have seen in new york. Thats very relevant. Other ill leave with you this. I was a social worker working in new york, i was very enthusiastic about my job in the Homeless Outreach program and our program was specifically to rea