Legal & Justice
Jails Are Not Hospitals
Reforming the intersection of mental illness and the criminal justice system. People with brain diseases belong in treatment — not cells.
The Problem
America's Jails Have Become Its Largest Psychiatric Facilities
In Arizona, thousands of individuals with serious mental illness cycle through the criminal justice system — not because they are criminals, but because the treatment system failed them.
When someone in psychosis commits a crime, the system treats them as a criminal first and a patient second. The result: people with brain diseases locked in cells without adequate treatment, deteriorating further, and cycling back through the system again and again.
“My son killed his father during a schizophrenic episode. He wasn't a murderer — he was a sick young man who needed treatment he never received.”
— Crystal Fox, Co-Founder, Arizona Mad Moms
2M+
Americans with SMI in jails and prisons
3x
More likely to be incarcerated than hospitalized
10x
More likely to be victimized while incarcerated
What We're Fighting For
Five Systemic Reforms Arizona Needs
We don't accept the status quo. Here are the specific changes we are pushing for in Arizona's criminal justice and behavioral health systems.
Diversion Programs
Expanding mental health courts and pre-arrest diversion programs that route individuals with SMI to treatment instead of jail.
Crisis Intervention Training
Mandatory CIT training for all law enforcement officers responding to mental health calls. De-escalation saves lives.
Competency Restoration Reform
Reforming the competency restoration process to ensure individuals receive real treatment, not just warehousing until they're 'competent' to stand trial.
Guilty Except Insane (GEI) Reform
Arizona's GEI verdict often results in individuals being sent to prison instead of treatment. We advocate for treatment-focused alternatives.
Re-entry Support
Ensuring individuals with SMI leaving incarceration have immediate access to housing, medication, and case management — not just a bus ticket.
Treatment, Not Incarceration
Join us in fighting for a system that treats mental illness as the medical condition it is — not a criminal act.