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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Daniele Gerard, Senior Staff Attorney at Children's Rights
7:17:04
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127 sec
Daniele Gerard, representing Children's Rights, testifies about the criminalization of mental health issues among youth and the lack of investment in community mental health services. She emphasizes the disproportionate impact on marginalized youth and urges the council to support community-based solutions.
- 70% of incarcerated youth have diagnosed mental health conditions compared to 18-22% of all children.
- Black, brown, LGBTQ+, and disabled youth face the most profound mental health challenges in child welfare and juvenile legal systems.
- The organization advocates for reallocation of the mayor's proposed Rikers budget to support community mental health services.
Daniele Gerard
7:17:04
Thank you, chair Stevens and committee members.
7:17:06
I'm Danielle Girard, a senior staff attorney at Children's Rights.
7:17:08
We are a national organization that advocates on behalf of youth and state systems here in the city on behalf of young adults on Rikers.
7:17:16
As the Progressive Caucus states, living with mental illness is not a crime.
7:17:20
In June 2024, we submitted a public comment to the Board of Correction regarding the law banning solitary confinement, which includes a great deal of research regarding youth brain development and the criminalization of mental health.
7:17:31
We would like to highlight one of the points we make and some of the accompanying data.
7:17:36
Mental health is integral to overall health and well-being, for adolescents, shaping their development and influencing their responses to stress and social interactions and supporting healthy decision making, the lack of investment in community mental health services results in police and agents of other punitive systems responding to children and youth experiencing psychiatric distress rather than trained behavioral health personnel.
7:18:02
As a result, youth with mental health conditions are more likely to be arrested and incarcerated than those without mental health conditions.
7:18:10
Nationwide data show that seventy percent of incarcerated young people present with a diagnosed mental health condition compared to eighteen to twenty two percent of all children.
7:18:20
Once involved in the child welfare or juvenile legal systems, youth who are black or brown, LGBTQ plus and or living with a disability disproportionately face the most profound mental health challenges.
7:18:31
Young people themselves describe the child welfare and juvenile legal systems as traumatic, and youth who experience these systems often have poor mental health outcomes.
7:18:41
The criminalization of mental health is a direct result of the lack of investment in community mental health services.
7:18:47
We urge the council to stand firm in supporting our communities, especially when it comes to the health and well-being of all our children and youth incarcerated or not.
7:18:56
We refer you to our written testimony for ways to reallocate the mayor's proposed budget for Ripers to work toward achieving this full thank you for the opportunity to testify.
7:19:07
I know it's been a long day, especially for you chair Stevens.