The Fusion Network documented
stories of children and youth in America who have been incarcerated. They
highlight the issue of the need for Mental Health treatment and interventions
instead of incarceration. One of the stories featured is about Brian McIntosh. I
work with Brian in a program here in Columbus. Brian had been on the street
since he was a young child. His entire family struggles with severe mental
health issues. When the film first aired last year, Brian had been homeless for
a long time. Now we have worked with him to access services. I know Brian, but
there are many more youth like Brian who have mental illness and are sent to
prison instead of treatment. What I learned is that America incarcerates more
kids than any other developed country. We also spend more, over $8 billion.
Most kids don’t even commit a violent crime. I feel we should all be aware and
outraged. I don’t think that it is developmentally appropriate or healthy for
young people to be sent to lock up. I think we should advocate for better services
and supports for families and residential treatment instead of prison.
https://youtu.be/NifPxtGi-Ns
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