Press Release for 07/31/08
Justice Center and State Officials Convene Meetings in Virginia and Kansas to Discuss Responses to Victims of Crimes Committed by People with Mental Illnesses
Justice Center and State Officials Convene Meetings in Virginia and Kansas to Discuss Responses to Victims of Crimes Committed by People with Mental Illnesses
Last month, the Justice Center, with support from the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), U.S. Department of Justice, worked with Virginia state officials to convene a group of victim advocates, department of mental health staff, legislative staff, and others to discuss responses to victims of crimes committed by people with mental illnesses. This meeting, the first of its kind that has been convened in Virginia at the state level, followed a meeting that Justice Center and Kansas officials organized in May on this topic.
The purpose of these meetings was to discuss strategies for protecting victims’ rights in cases in which individuals who commit crimes are transferred to the custody of state mental health systems because they have been found not guilty by reason of insanity or require treatment to restore their competency to stand trial. There is often confusion about what types of information victims can access in these cases given confidentiality regulations related to mental health treatment. Consequently, these victims may not be notified or be allowed to participate in their case in ways they would have if the person who committed the crime had been sent to jail or prison.
Dr. James Reinhard, Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services (DMHMRSAS), underscored a number of important reasons for those working within departments of mental health to consider this issue. “Good clinicians know that working with an individual to help them understand the impact that any crime has had on victims is an important part of treatment, recovery and successful community integration,” he said. “Also, by focusing on issues related to crime victims, we improve the ability of mental health systems to deliver trauma-informed care to clients who have previously been victimized.”
The Justice Center organized the meeting in Virginia with DMHMRSAS and the Virginia Network for Victims and Witnesses of Crime, Inc., a state association that offers training and materials to victim advocates and victims.
During the meeting in Kansas, which was convened with the Kansas Attorney General’s Office and the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS), participants touched upon similar themes. Attendees, including State Rep. Pat Colloton (R-KS), SRS Deputy Secretary Ray Dalton, Forensic Services Coordinator Leslie Huss, victim advocates, prosecutors, and others, discussed opportunities to increase awareness about this issue at upcoming trainings and conferences, and methods to ensure that victims have access to public information about changes in the status of cases, such as notices of conditional release hearings filed with the courts.“This is an issue we are committed to exploring further in Kansas in partnership with mental health and criminal justice leaders, recognizing that improving responses to this group of victims will entail ongoing cross-training and collaboration among prosecutors, mental health staff, victim advocates, and victims,” said Rep. Colloton.
Dr. Rick Gowdy, Director of Forensic Services for the Missouri Department of Mental Health (DMH), also presented at the Kansas meeting, detailing steps taken in Missouri to formalize how victims are identified and notified by the DMH about particular changes in cases involving individuals found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Dr. Gowdy served as a member of the planning group on a forthcoming OVC and Justice Center publication Responding to People Who Have Been Victimized by Individuals with Mental Illnesses. Responding, which will be released this summer, highlights challenges to serving this group of victims and also proposes policies and practices for criminal justice and mental health officials to consider implementing to improve responses to this group of crime victims. For more information on the Justice Center’s work on victims’ rights issues, please see the Justice Center’s Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project website, or contact Elizabeth Dodd at edodd@csg.org or (646) 383-5749.