Podcast appearances and mentions of alisa roth

Guest: Alisa Roth,author :Alisa Roth is a print and radio journalist who has reported extensively on the criminal justice system. Her first book, Insane: America's Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness, investigated the mental health crisis in our courts, jails, and prisons. The New Yorker called it an “essential exposé” and The New York Times said it “is rife with sharp, brutal details that pull the reader beyond the realms of abstract policy debates.” She is former mental health correspondent for American Public Media.1. Describe one example of the worst (e.g. solitary confinement or punishment for self harm) and the best (e.g. PACE, program for accelerated  clinical effectiveness) you saw in your travels. How did we get here?2. What is it like for the officers who work in prisons? What is in their training or lack of it that stands out? This isn't what they signed up for…yet they are asked to do it.3.Is it hard to identify those with mental illness at first?4. What works , and what could help make it work better?5. Could family involvement help?  Do prisons request or get histories of patients?6. We often hear that during deinstitutionalization we took people out of institutions and the mirror image number people are now in jails and prisons. In “Insane,” you contend that the story is far more complicated. Please explain.7. You note that race, poverty, and mental illness overlap in the criminal justice system, but of all the gross imbalances of our current approach to criminal justice, perhaps no group has been hurt as much as people with mental illness. Why is that your conclusion?8. Why is society more willing to spend money on jails and prisons (e.g., mental health units) than regular mental health care?9. You write that about 80 percent of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system have a substance use disorder in addition to the mental illness. Have we made any progress in treating these illnesses in tandem?10. You write that 30 % of those with serious mental illness receive no treatment at all. What kinds of mental health care do we need more of?11. You note that in many states, much of the inventory of beds is reserved for forensic patients, at the expense of civilian ones, thus sending more people with mental illness to jail and prison. Do we need more inpatient care and long-term care?12. What should a better mental health care system look like?13. You write that since the changes of the 1970s, many cite the barriers to involuntary commitment as one of the reasons for the increased criminalization of mental illness. Do you also subscribe to that theory?14. Why is enrollment in mental health courts so limited, making them, as you write, unable to make a dent in the number of people with mental illness who end up in the criminal court system.Links:AlisaRoth on twitter/X - @alisa_rothWebsite: http://alisaroth.com/Mindy and her book: https://mindygreiling.com/Randye and her book: https://www.randyekaye.com/Miriam and her book: https://www.miriam-feldman.com/

COVID-19 continues to impact the mental health of children and youth. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has declared a “national emergency” on children's mental health, with the pandemic exacerbating many pre-existing challenges. American Public Media's mental health correspondent Alisa Roth joins us to tell us more about what that declaration means for youth, their families and hwhat the alarming statistics mean.

In this episode, Mary Moriarty, career Public Defender (PD) and chief of the Hennepin County PD's Office in Minneapolis, provides a much needed perspective into the work of a PD, countering the public perception of PDs being public pretenders. Additionally Mary offers insight as to role prosecutors and judges can play in holding officers accountable and criminal system reform. Mary also talks briefly about the good trouble she's gotten herself into speaking out about problems within the criminal system as well as racial disparities. Mary is an avid reader and has provided a list of must read books that she first thinks anyone working in the system should read as well as visitors to The Waiting Room.  Mary's Reads:  “The Warmth of Other Suns” - Isabel Wilkerson    This is a beautifully written narrative about three black families who moved from the south to northern cities during the great migration movement of the 20th century.  Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, this work is essential reading for Minnesotans who want to understand the challenges that African-Americans faced when they moved here, and still face today.  "Locking Up Our Own" – George Forman Jr.      This Pulitzer Prize winning book, written by the son of a prominent leader in the civil rights movement, tells the story of how black politicians (including Eric Holder), judges, and police chiefs embraced tough on crime initiatives that devastated communities of color in Washington D.C. during the war on drugs. A former public defender, James Foreman, Jr. uses his clients' stories to show how punitive these measures were.    "Locked In" – Jon Pfaff Much of what we read attributes mass incarceration to the war on drugs, but this book challenges that assumption by pointing out that even if we released everyone jailed on drug offenses, the U.S. would still have the highest incarceration rate in the world. John Pfaff focuses instead on the charging and negotiation practices of prosecutors, and demonstrates that if we are serious about reducing our prison population, we need to address sentences for violent crimes.   "Picking Cotton" – Erin Torneo, Jennifer Thompson-Cannino, and Ronald Cotton This book was written by rape victim Jennifer Thompson, and the man she wrongfully accused of attacking her, Ronald Cotton.  Cotton spent 12 years in prison before DNA revealed the true perpetrator, leading Jennifer Thompson to search for the reason her identification was wrong despite being absolutely convinced she was correct. Cotton and Thompson alternate chapters telling the story from their unique perspectives. This is an excellent book for those who want to understand how the frailties of human memory can lead determined victims and well-meaning cops to create a dynamic leading to wrongful convictions.     "Just Mercy" – Bryan Stevenson  Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative in Alabama, movingly writes about his experiences as a black man representing poor men and women caught in an unjust system. EJI is a non-profit committed to changing the narrative about race in America. Stevenson most recently completed construction of The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, the country's first memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved black people. His work connects slavery to mass incarceration.    "Insane" – Alisa Roth So many people in the criminal justice system struggle with mental health issues because we have simply criminalized mental illness instead of properly funding mental health resources. Alisa Roth explains how those with mental illness have been treated since colonial times, long before people were released from asylums without a proper safety net in the 60s.  Using compelling case studies from around the country, she reveals the devastating consequences of incarceration on the mentally ill and their families, and argues for more successful and humane alternatives.    "Slavery by Another Name" – Douglas A. Blackmon Many people believe that slavery ended with the civil war, but Douglas Blackmon's book documents the forced labor of black men and women, who were jailed on made-up crimes so they could be leased to do the work of formerly enslaved people.  Blackmon writes of “Black Codes,” laws passed by legislatures to justify pretext arrests to fill the jails with people who were then leased to private corporations and landowners. This work is critical to understanding one way in which the legal system was used to sustain white supremacy.   "The New Jim Crow" – Michelle Alexander  Michelle Alexander's book connects slavery, Jim Crow, and the war on drugs as racist systems of control.  She provides historical context for policies that allowed police to operate with little oversight – stopping, searching, and seizing people of color at will.  Ms. Alexander effectively demonstrates that the war on drugs was intended to be a war on black people, whom republicans viewed as more likely to vote for democrats.  This award winning book, published in 2010, changed the way many view race and the criminal justice system.     "Charged" –  Emily Bazelon Emily Bazelon beautifully tell the stories of a teenage girl accused of murdering her mother and a young man who possessed a gun to demonstrate the relatively unchecked power prosecutors have in the criminal justice system. Prosecutors decide whether a person will be charged and with what offense.  They have complete control over whether to offer a plea negotiation, the details of which may impact the client the rest of his or her life.   "My Grandmother's Hands" – Resmaa Menakem Minneapolis therapist Resmaa Menakem writes that racism has caused physical trauma in everyone and that the path to wellness is understanding the trauma that resides deep within our bodies. Although the reasons why white, black and blue (police) bodies have experienced trauma from white supremacism differ, we will not work through our racial divide until we heal from the generational impact of trauma.  At the end of each chapter, Dr. Menakem offers exercises and practices designed to heal our bodies from trauma.    "Colony in a Nation" – Chris Hayes Journalist Chris Hayes uses the framework of a Nation and a Colony to discuss why measures of racial inequality – incarceration, income, employment, home ownership – haven't improved since 1968.  Within our Nation exists a Colony, where fear leads to aggressive policing, which infringes on civil rights.  Policing in the Colony resembles occupation, which has led to the conditions that lead to the uprisings in Baltimore and Ferguson.   "Unwarranted: Policing Without Permission" – Barry E. Friedman Barry Friedman's book outlines the problems we have created by refusing to police the police.  Illegal searches, warrantless stops, and invasive surveillance, enabled by sophisticated technology, are just a few of the issues that plague our country.  Add race and class to the mix and we need serious reform, which starts with the question, “What do we want the police to do?”     "Between the World and Me" – Ta-Neisi Coates This book is a letter to the author's 15 year old son about how to live in a black body in this country.  The death of one of Ta-Neisi Coates's classmates, at the hands of the police, caused him to reflect on this country's history of destroying black bodies. The heart of the narrative is that race is a social construct and that people who identify as white do not believe they benefit from white privilege. If they achieve what he calls the “dream,” it is because of their own abilities and efforts.      "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI" - David Grann   David Grann's book investigates one chapter of white genocide against Native Americans.  After oil was discovered under their land, making them among the richest people per capita in the world, members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma Nation began to be murdered.  As the death toll climbed, the FBI began its first major homicide investigation, which it botched.  Although official records claim about twenty people were murdered, Grann's detailed reporting reveals hundreds of victims.  "Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How our Government Segregated America" - Richard Rothstein Richard Rothstein's book explains clearly how government policies, not individual choices, intentionally promoted residential racial segregation.  Rothstein dismantles many of the current myths about racial discrimination, such as black homeowners causing white homeowners property values to fall.  After documenting the intentional choices made by the government, Rothstein argues, contrary to the thinking of the U.S. Supreme Court, that there are constitutional remedies available to address these purposeful, discriminatory policies.         

In this podcast, listeners will hear experts from across the United States discuss how and why we have criminalized mental illness – and what we can do about it. The challenge is steep. In the U.S., more than two million people with a mental health condition are jailed every year.  And roughly one in two Americans with a serious mental illness will be arrested. Alisa Roth, the author and journalist, notes that jails and prisons “have become the nation’s de facto mental health care providers.”

On this podcast, Mindy Greiling, a mental health advocate and former state representative, has hosted a series of conversations around mental health care in Minnesota: the first was with Alisa Roth on the state's criminal treatment of mental illness, and the second with Dr. George Realmuto on mental health and substance abuse. In this third and final installment in the mental health series, Mindy talks about recovery with John Trepp, who she calls a “maverick” and wishes there were more like him in the mental health system. Trepp is author of Lodge Magic: Real Life Adventures in Mental Health Recovery and is former executive director of Tasks Unlimited, Minnesota's Fairweather lodge program, which provides housing and recovery services for people with mental illness. This conversation was recorded in September 2020. References: -Fix What You Can by Mindy Greiling: http://z.umn.edu/fixwhatyoucan -Lodge Magic: Real Life Adventures in Mental Health Recovery by John Trepp -Surviving Schizophrenia by E. Fuller Torrey -Tasks Unlimited: https://tasksunlimited.org/ -National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/ -NAMI Minnesota: https://namimn.org/

In his early twenties, Mindy Greiling's son, Jim, was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. At the time, and for more than a decade after, Greiling was a Minnesota state legislator who struggled, along with her husband, to navigate and improve the state's inadequate mental health system. Her book FIX WHAT YOU CAN is an illuminating and frank account of caring for a person with a mental illness, told by a parent and advocate. Greiling is joined here today by Minnesota Public Radio's mental health reporter Alisa Roth, author of INSANE: AMERICA'S CRIMINAL TREATMENT OF MENTAL ILLNESS. This edited conversation was recorded in August 2020. For more information, please visit z.umn.edu/fixwhatyoucan.

Today, we have the pleasure of meeting Reia Chapman, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She is the founder and an outpatient therapist at The Center for Family and Maternal Wellness, founder of the Social Justice Emotional Response Collective, and an inspiring writer and content creator for Decolonize Psychotherapy. She has a strong background in reproductive health rights and justice and regularly engages in public speaking and keynote engagements as well as facilitates trainings and workshops. She received her Master's degree from Savannah State University and moved back to Charlotte to work in crisis intervention community services. She found the work to be challenging due to the bureaucracy. She discovered that her clients and families were not responding well to the service because it did not center their needs. She recognized the disconnect between the policies, laws, and rules to culture, poverty, and intersections. At this point, she realized that graduate school did not prepare her to work in marginalized communities. Since then, she has found that many in the mental health profession are unaware of the background of racism that makes us complicit in the suffering of people. This awareness informs her work with Decolonize Psychotherapy. With this series, she helps address the academic and education sector as well as corporate sector with workshops based on what the need is now to retain staff of color, how to create spaces that are safe, and protocols that could help clients feel seen. "It is the work that I love to do. I love direct practice work and I think as I've evolved as a clinician, I've seen a greater need for me to contribute to the discourse and to the profession in ways that inspire and mold the next generation of Social Workers." Reia's private practice, The Center for Family and Maternal Wellness, opened in 2016 and has great racial and gender diversity, helping those with mood and anxiety disorders, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, couples therapy, and support for Queer and Transgender populations. Her work with the Social Justice Emotional Response Collective officially solidified in 2016 after the murder of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, but had it's beginnings when she was organizing emotional support efforts in Ferguson, MO after the death of Mike Brown. Reia was in Alaska during the uprising in Charlotte and kept wondering who was responding to the emotional needs of the community. "I remember looking at the news and imagining the trauma that these folx must be experiencing when they were facing huge militarized police force. I thought about what it was like to be gassed or dogs to be used on people. I thought about seeing tanks and being hosed and I thought 'what would that do to a person's psyche?" The works she does with SJERC is an act of resistance for her and an act of love and deep respect for the community. SJERC is a mental health mutual aid program which reconvened after the death of George Floyd. During this response, the Collective has added a 24/7 hotline staffed by mental health clinicians, created a website to submit appointment requests and donations, and increased visibility with lime green t-shirts. They have connected with other organizers such as Jail Support. The Collective has continued to offer professionals in the wellness space a place to donate their time to help those who are protesting as well as pro-bono services to those who need emergency emotional support. Alisa Roth's book, "Insane: America's Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness" has been influential in her work with SJERC. Reia wants to heal Charlotte because she recognizes she does not have a choice in the matter. Since childhood, she was the one who people came to for support, guidance, comfort, and love as well as her fight for others her entire life. She cannot separate herself from healing. In the Charlotte community, she is inspired by many including Kass Ottley and Kristie Puckett Williams at Jail Support as well as the content creators and writers who are documenting the story. She continues to be inspired by those who have found ways to forgive and have difficult conversations to push past their pain to educate. Find the Social Justice Emotional Response Collective on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or call the hotline at 704-659-4997.

COVID-19 has opened up a conversation about remote therapy, but online mental health care goes way beyond talking to a therapist over video chat. App analytics companies say downloads of mental health and wellness apps are up almost 30% since the pandemic began. These include therapy services, but also meditation apps like Calm and Headspace. Do they work, and how is your data handled? American Public Media’s mental health reporter, Alisa Roth, takes a look. 

COVID-19 has opened up a conversation about remote therapy, but online mental health care goes way beyond talking to a therapist over video chat. App analytics companies say downloads of mental health and wellness apps are up almost 30% since the pandemic began. These include therapy services, but also meditation apps like Calm and Headspace. Do they work, and how is your data handled? American Public Media’s mental health reporter, Alisa Roth, takes a look. 

COVID-19 has opened up a conversation about remote therapy, but online mental health care goes way beyond talking to a therapist over video chat. App analytics companies say downloads of mental health and wellness apps are up almost 30% since the pandemic began. These include therapy services, but also meditation apps like Calm and Headspace. Do they work, and how is your data handled? American Public Media’s mental health reporter, Alisa Roth, takes a look. 

Shownotes:When left untreated, individuals with severe mental illness can occasionally end up in jail for minor charges. The system is cyclical, recidivism rates are high, and law enforcement acts not only as judge and jury, but also as caretaker. The mental health crisis in this country is severe, and government only exacerbates the problem.Mentions:Throughout this episode Tess Terrible talked with; Alisa Roth, Justin Volpe, Judge Leifman, Walter Thompson, Leah Reed, and Ayesha Delany-Brumsey.Music by Cellophane Sam Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss mental illness and the criminal system with Alisa Roth, author of Insane: America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness.

One of the most horrific—and least acknowledged—effects of mass incarceration is the epidemic of mental illness in our jails and prisons. Alisa Roth, journalist and author of Insane: America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness, will explain how this happened—and how we can fix it. Journalist Alisa Roth is the author of Insane: America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness, an investigation into the crisis of mental illness in the US criminal justice system. A former staff reporter at Marketplace, Roth’s work has also appeared on NPR, and in The New York Times and New York Review of Books.

Journalist Alisa Roth is author of Insane: America's Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness. She discusses the mental healthcare crisis in the U.S. criminal justice system. Roth gave a talk at the UO titled "America's Hidden Mental Health Crisis" on March 12, 2019 as the 2018-19 Lorwin Lecturer in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

It's official, and it's one more amazing step into the future at Life of the Law: we have a new Executive Director. Six years after Nancy Mullane, Tom Hilbink and Shannon Heffernan launched the first episode of Life of the Law, with stories about jury nullification and jailhouse lawyers, we welcome a new fearless leader. Tony Gannon, whom you have come to know as our talented behind-the-scenes Senior Producer brings his vision and exciting energy to LOTL as our new Executive Director.  This change will allow Nancy Mullane to focus on reporting, which, as many of you know, is what Nancy lives to do! To celebrate this moment for Tony and Nancy, we have chosen to publish one of Nancy's stories from our archives... "Release Day." In 1994, California voters passed thethree strikes lawwhich required anyone with two felony convictions to receive a sentence of 25 years to life for committing their third felony. Between the mid-1970s and 2006, the three strikes law and other harsh sentencing guidelines increased California's prison population by 750 percent. On November 6, 2012, Californians voted to change the three strikes law. That measure, known as Proposition 36 eliminated life sentences for non-violent crimes and allowed some of the prisoners sentenced under the three strikes law to petition for release for time served. Curtis Penn is one of those prisoners. Life of the Law executive producer Nancy Mullane chronicles the day Curtis was released from prison. Produced by: Nancy Mullane, Kaitlin Prest, Alisa Roth, Shannon Heffernan, Jillian Weinberger & Katie BarnettEdited by: Julia Barton Music by: Kyle Kaplin, Matthew Dahar and Todd MacDonald Special Thanks: Tom Hilbink Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out more at www.mentalhealthbookclub.com Trigger warning: this podcast discusses self-harm, prisons, justice system, suicide and poor treatment of mental illness. Get the book here It was an absolute pleasure to speak to Alisa Roth author of Insane: America’s criminal Treatment of Mental Illness. We could have talked for hours about Alisa’s book, we think … Continue reading "Interview 5 – Alisa Roth Author of Insane: America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness"

Find out more at www.mentalhealthbookclub.com Trigger warning: this podcast discusses self-harm, prisons, justice system, suicide and poor treatment of mental illness. Get the book here It was an absolute pleasure to speak to Alisa Roth author of Insane: America’s criminal Treatment of Mental Illness. We could have talked for hours about Alisa’s book, we think … Continue reading "Interview 5 – Alisa Roth Author of Insane: America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness"

Find out more at www.mentalhealthbookclub.com Trigger warning: this podcast discusses police shootings, self-harm, body fluids and suicide. Get our next book here If you feel suicidal call 999 immediately. *Sponsor* Happiful Magazine Thanks to the lovely people at Happiful Magazine who have sponsored Sydney to attend the Mental Health First Aid Course this July.  We … Continue reading "Episode 48 – Insane America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness by Alisa Roth Pt 3"

Find out more at www.mentalhealthbookclub.com Trigger warning: this podcast discusses police shootings, self-harm, body fluids and suicide. Get our next book here If you feel suicidal call 999 immediately. If you cannot wait for our next episodes  you can get advanced access by going to Patreon.  You can support us with as little as $2 … Continue reading "Episode 48 – Insane America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness by Alisa Roth Pt 3"

Find out more at www.mentalhealthbookclub.com Trigger warning: this podcast discusses police shootings, self-harm, body fluids and suicide. Get our next book here If you feel suicidal call 999 immediately. *Sponsor* Happiful Magazine Thanks to the lovely people at Happiful Magazine who have sponsored Sydney to attend the Mental Health First Aid Course this July.  We … Continue reading "Episode 48 – Insane America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness by Alisa Roth Pt 2"

Find out more at www.mentalhealthbookclub.com Trigger warning: this podcast discusses police shootings, self-harm, body fluids and suicide. Get our next book here If you feel suicidal call 999 immediately. If you cannot wait for our next episodes  you can get advanced access by going to Patreon.  You can support us with as little as $2 … Continue reading "Episode 48 – Insane America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness by Alisa Roth Pt 2"

Find out more at www.mentalhealthbookclub.com Trigger warning: this podcast discusses police shootings, self-harm, body fluids and suicide. Get our next book here If you feel suicidal call 999 immediately. *Sponsor* Happiful Magazine Thanks to the lovely people at Happiful Magazine who have sponsored Sydney to attend the Mental Health First Aid Course this July.  We … Continue reading "Episode 48 – Insane America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness by Alisa Roth Pt 1"

Find out more at www.mentalhealthbookclub.com Trigger warning: this podcast discusses police shootings, self-harm, body fluids and suicide. Get our next book here If you feel suicidal call 999 immediately. If you cannot wait for our next episodes  you can get advanced access by going to Patreon.  You can support us with as little as $2 … Continue reading "Episode 48 – Insane America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness by Alisa Roth Pt 1"

The United States has the largest population of prisoners in the world: at present, nearly 2.2 million adults are inside correctional facilities. The incarcerated are disproportionately African-American and Latinx, and nearly half have been diagnosed with a mental illness. In her book Insane: America's Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness, journalist Alisa Roth reports on the lack of care available to these vulnerable populations, and describes the abuse and punishment that exacerbates their illnesses. This conversation between Roth and Eyal Press took place at Book Culture on April 24, 2018.

Sedaris talks about his latest book, and Alisa Roth discusses “Insane: America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness.”

It’s April and that means two things: spring and tax time! The US tax system is really, really complicated. Every time you do your taxes, you’re answering to multiple jurisdictions –– and all their laws about what you owe for what, and why. We’re taking a look at how our tax system got so complicated and how our attitudes about taxes have changed over the years. We start with a story from Alisa Roth about a surprising group of taxpayers who live outside the law. Then we listen in as a group of scholars talk about how the tax system got so complicated, and how Americans ideas about citizenship and taxation have changed over the years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thousands of kids are arrested in school every year. About a third of U.S. schools have a regular police presence on campus; some school districts even have their own police forces. As the number of law enforcement officers on campus has gone up, so, too, have the number of arrests, often for low-level misdemeanors. Life of the Law’s Alisa Roth investigates one student’s case, and examines the uncertain legal terrain police, teachers, administrators and students face in American high schools. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices