Chapter
Homelessness and Mental Illness in America
01:43 - 15:14 (13:30)
America's mental health care system has long failed to provide meaningful care to individuals with severe mental illnesses, resulting in many cycling through jails, mental health facilities, and the court system. The closure and downsizing of state mental hospitals have turned jails and prisons into the largest de facto mental health holding facilities, with medication failing to change outcomes for those with severe mental illnesses, perpetuating the crisis of homelessness and mental illness in the US.
Clips
The author tells the story of Joshua, a homeless man with a serious mental illness, who was caught up in the criminal justice system and failed to receive adequate care from hospitals and organizations that were meant to help him.
01:43 - 04:34 (02:50)
Summary
The author tells the story of Joshua, a homeless man with a serious mental illness, who was caught up in the criminal justice system and failed to receive adequate care from hospitals and organizations that were meant to help him.
ChapterHomelessness and Mental Illness in America
EpisodeThe Sunday Read: 'Why Was Joshua Held for More Than Two Years for Someone Else’s Crimes?'
PodcastThe Daily
This podcast episode examines the connection between homelessness, mental illness, and the criminal justice system through the story of a man named Spreestersbach who struggled with all three in Hawaii.
04:34 - 06:30 (01:56)
Summary
This podcast episode examines the connection between homelessness, mental illness, and the criminal justice system through the story of a man named Spreestersbach who struggled with all three in Hawaii.
ChapterHomelessness and Mental Illness in America
EpisodeThe Sunday Read: 'Why Was Joshua Held for More Than Two Years for Someone Else’s Crimes?'
PodcastThe Daily
Spreester's Box sat in jail for two months before being declared unfit to proceed due to having no resources or family and unable to afford a lawyer.
06:30 - 09:19 (02:49)
Summary
Spreester's Box sat in jail for two months before being declared unfit to proceed due to having no resources or family and unable to afford a lawyer. The usual tactic for someone like him was to request to have him declared not competent to face his charges, leading to being taken to a public psychiatric facility in Hawaii where staff members describe shortages of staffing and resources.
ChapterHomelessness and Mental Illness in America
EpisodeThe Sunday Read: 'Why Was Joshua Held for More Than Two Years for Someone Else’s Crimes?'
PodcastThe Daily
The lack of effective solutions for homeless individuals with mental illness has left jails and prisons as the nation's largest de facto mental health holding centers, and medication has failed to change outcomes for people with severe mental illness, leaving many stranded in bureaucratic wormholes.
09:19 - 15:14 (05:54)
Summary
The lack of effective solutions for homeless individuals with mental illness has left jails and prisons as the nation's largest de facto mental health holding centers, and medication has failed to change outcomes for people with severe mental illness, leaving many stranded in bureaucratic wormholes.