Tag: Massachusetts mental health

Disability Law Center Finds Continuing Systemic Rights Violations and Health and Safety Risks at Bridgewater State Hospital

FFIMI

Boston, MA – The Disability Law Center (DLC) has issued our January 2023 public report summarizing findings and recommendations arising out of intensive monitoring efforts at Bridgewater State Hospital (BSH) from July 2022 through December 2022. The report examines both continuing and new concerns discovered during this reporting period related to facility conditions and BSH policies… Continue reading Disability Law Center Finds Continuing Systemic Rights Violations and Health and Safety Risks at Bridgewater State Hospital

NAMI Board Member and Family Advocate Adds His Voice at Judiciary Oversight Committee

FFIMI

Introduction My name is Tom Kavanaugh. I am a board member of my local NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) chapter, the facilitator of the Bridgewater State Hospital Families Group, and the father of a son with mental illness who is currently being held at the hospital. About the Patients If I may, I’d like… Continue reading NAMI Board Member and Family Advocate Adds His Voice at Judiciary Oversight Committee

Bridgewater State Hospital Must be Placed Under the Dept. of Mental Health – Not the Dept. of Correction

FFIMI

Representative Michael Day, who moderated the Massachusetts Joint Committee on the Judiciary oversight hearings on December 21 stated in the February 2022 issue of Commonwealth Magazine that the then recent Disability Law Center (DLC) report was "deeply disturbing." Based on the January 2022 and July 2022 DLC reports, a barrage of damning news articles, meetings between the Criminal Justice… Continue reading Bridgewater State Hospital Must be Placed Under the Dept. of Mental Health – Not the Dept. of Correction

A Lack of Chaplain Services at Bridgewater State Hospital

FFIMI

By Donna Winant For the past seven months there was no chaplain at Bridgewater State Hospital (BSH). Before that, there was a short-term chaplain. And previous to that, for months and months, there was no chaplain. Family members pushed and pushed and gave suggestions for temporary solutions. This was ignored until advocate voices became louder… Continue reading A Lack of Chaplain Services at Bridgewater State Hospital

Worcester County Jail programming seeks to break cycle of generational incarceration

FFIMI

Spectrum News 1, by Sloane Perron, Worcester County, 8/12/22 WEST BOYLSTON, Mass. - When Marcel Santos-Padgett first came to the Worcester County Jail & House of Corrections in April, he was addicted to marijuana and alcohol. Realizing that he wanted to change his ways for both himself and for his family, Santos-Padgett voluntarily signed up… Continue reading Worcester County Jail programming seeks to break cycle of generational incarceration

Challenging Solitary Confinement for People with Serious Mental Illness

FFIMI

Treatment Advocacy Center - Research Weekly Publication by Morré Taylor; Photo by Khashayar Kouchpeydeh By Morré Taylor (August 10, 2022) People with serious mental illness have a long history of being highly engaged in the criminal justice system, as at least 40% of individuals with serious mental illness have been in jail or prison during their… Continue reading Challenging Solitary Confinement for People with Serious Mental Illness

Bridgewater State Hospital – Serious Concerns About Facility Conditions and Rights Violations Persist

FFIMI

Disability Law Center Again Calls for Bridgewater State Hospital Reform on the Basis of Serious Concerns About Facility Conditions and Rights Violations – Disability Law Center (dlc-ma.org) In 2017 the Disability Law Center (DLC) met with Governor Charlie Baker and urged him to allocate funding to provide more comprehensive medical and psychiatric care at Bridgewater… Continue reading Bridgewater State Hospital – Serious Concerns About Facility Conditions and Rights Violations Persist

Treatment Advocacy Center’s Brian Stettin Bids Farewell

FFIMI

Brian Stettin, longtime policy directory of Treatment Advocacy Center, states: " The question lingering in the back of the mind of any advocate is always: Am I making a difference? When the wrong to be righted is deep-seated, complex and decades in the making, there will inevitably be grist for discouragement. But we must never discount the… Continue reading Treatment Advocacy Center’s Brian Stettin Bids Farewell

Shedding Light Podcast

FFIMI

FFIMI Director, Donna Winant, was interviewed by Leonna Abraham Brandao's of Blog Talk Radio/Shedding Light. Leonna's passion is to get people talking and working together to find solutions to social justice issues, including the many that exist in the criminal justice system. Donna shared about FFIMI's mission and goal to be the voice of justice involved… Continue reading Shedding Light Podcast