Governor Hochul Announces $33 Million Investment in Mental Health Support for People in the Legal System
The investment will support more programs like the Midtown Community Justice Center, which fosters lasting safety by linking people in the legal system to services and care in their communities.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul visited our Midtown Community Justice Center to share important news of a $33 million investment in treatment and support for people with mental illness involved in the criminal legal system. Expanding access to mental health services both inside and outside of the courts is vital to building lasting safety and ensuring all New Yorkers are treated with dignity.
Governor Hochul was joined by Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson and Jethro Antoine, our Chief Program Officer of Court Reform. “These are the people with boots on the ground in the fight to ensure that everyone has a fair shot in the criminal justice system,” said Governor Hochul.
The investment will support more programs like the Midtown Community Justice Center, which has served its community for 30 years by putting people struggling with mental illness and other life challenges on a path to getting the care they need instead of dealing with cycles of harm and rearrest. "The staff here works tirelessly to keep people with serious mental illness out of the justice system, and those who are already in the system on a path toward reentry in their communities," said Governor Hochul. This boost in funding comes at a critical moment, when more than half of those incarcerated on Rikers Island have a mental illness.
“This is the incubator and the proving ground for a better way,” Judge Wilson said of the Midtown Community Justice Center. “A better way that treats instead of punishes. A better way that cares for the community as a whole. A better way that improves public safety.”
That important work depends on investments into robust mental health services and supportive housing to provide meaningful care for people who need it, including those entangled in the legal system. “When one of these individuals is in a police car, courtroom, or jail, it usually means that many systems have failed to provide needed support,” said Jethro Antoine, “which is why we welcome your increased investment in mental health services for New York’s youth and individuals with serious mental illness.”
“We are so grateful to Governor Hochul for this investment to expand mental health services,” said Courtney Bryan, our Executive Director. “The Center for Justice Innovation will continue to collaborate with our partners in the New York Unified Court System and in communities to treat each person with care, kindness, and dignity to reduce the use of incarceration, promote healing, and make communities safer.”