New Resource Available: Issue Brief on Violence against Women with Mental Illness

The Consensus Project is pleased to announce the release of a new issue brief: "Violence against Women with Mental Illness."

The issue brief summarizes the latest research regarding this issue, identifies some programs and resources that serve women with mental illness who are recent victims of crime, and recommends an action agenda for the federal government.

Click here to download the brief.

State Senator Liane Sorenson (R-DE) stated, "Violence against women with mental illness is a serious problem in the United States. This issue brief will help my colleagues in legislatures across the country, as well as other policymakers and practitioners generally, improve their understanding of this subset of crime victims, and the extent to which current policies and service models leave these women vulnerable, unprotected, and without the health services they need."

Sorenson, vice-chair of the Council of State Governments (CSG) Eastern Regional Conference's Criminal Justice Program, which coordinates the Consensus Project, noted that CSG and the Consensus Project will continue to make this issue a priority: "We recently assembled leaders in the victim advocacy and mental health communities from across the country for a day-long meeting. We have asked them to assist us in the development of bipartisan policy recommendations that experts agree will improve the response to this population."

Updates regarding the status of CSG's work in this area can be found here. Funding from the Center for Mental Health Services, a division of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, made it possible for CSG to develop this resource.

If you have any questions regarding the issue brief, or Consensus Project work around this issue, please do not hesitate to contact Monica Anzaldi.