The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, chaired by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), held a hearing on "Human Rights at Home: Mental Illness in U.S. Prisons and Jails" on September 15, 2009. The hearing focused on the high rate of mental illnesses among U.S. prisoners and was the Subcommittee’s first hearing examining a domestic human rights issue. Ranking Member Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Senator Al Franken (D-MN) also attended the hearing.

The deadline to submit proposals for presentations at the 2010 National GAINS Center Conference is September 15, 2009. The theme of the 2010 conference is Including Justice-Involved People with Mental Illness in Health Care Reform.

Premieres on PBS stations in October. Many organizations are using this program for screening events to focus on systemic change.

MINDS ON THE EDGE: Facing Mental Illness Produced by the Fred Friendly Seminars for broadcast on PBS stations nationwide, the one-hour program effectively reveals the personal dilemmas facing individuals and families, the medical practices that can be obstacles to treatment, and the public policies that are falling short.

The Justice Center has announced that Delaware, Idaho, New Hampshire and Wisconsin will participate in the Chief Justices’ Criminal Justice/Mental Health Leadership Initiative, a national project in its second year designed to assist state supreme court chief justices in developing strategic plans to improve responses to people with mental illnesses involved in the justice system.

On September 26, 2008, the U.S. Senate passed the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Reauthorization and Improvement Act, S. 2304. The bill is expected to be taken up in the House this weekend for final approval and then be sent to the President for his signature.

S. 2304 reauthorizes the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA) for an additional five years at $50 million per year. The bill also expands training for law enforcement to identify and respond appropriately to individuals with mental illnesses and supports the development of law enforcement receiving centers to assess individuals in custody for mental health and substance abuse treatment needs. MIOTCRA, PL 108-414, created the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Grant Program (JMHCP) in 2004 to help states and counties design and implement collaborative efforts between criminal justice and mental health systems.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center recently published two guides on the rights of individuals who have been victimized by people with mental illnesses - the first ever national publications on this topic. Both were supported by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

On September 29, 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Reauthorization and Improvement Act, S. 2304. The legislation passed the Senate by unanimous consent late last week and will now proceed to the President's desk for signature.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center is pleased to announce it has hired two new project directors, Nancy Fishman and Blake Norton.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center is pleased to announce that Tony Fabelo, Ph.D., joined the center's staff on September 4, 2007 as its Director of Research. In his new position, Dr. Fabelo will design, develop and implement a research agenda for the Justice Center. He will also provide technical assistance to state and local governments to help them increase public safety and make more efficient uses of state and local taxpayer dollars.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs' Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has named its 2007 grantees under its Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP), which was authorized by the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2004 (MIOTCRA).

Leaders of The Council of State Governments (CSG) Criminal Justice Program appreciate the Bureau of Justice Statistics' (BJS) continuing efforts to study and draw attention to the large numbers of people with mental illnesses in the criminal justice system. The BJS report, Mental Health Problems of Prison and Jail Inmates, found that more than half of all prison and jail inmates have mental health problems. The issue is of growing concern to state and local government officials.

On October 6, the Justice Center launched the National Reentry Resource Center, an unprecedented initiative to advance the safe and successful return of individuals from prisons and jails to their communities. Among those served by the resource center will be states, tribes, territories, local governments, service providers, nonprofit organizations, and adult and juvenile corrections institutions.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs' Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has named its 2009 grantees under the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP ), which was authorized by the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2004 (MIOTCRA ).