State Senator Joseph Griffo (R-Rome) joined the state Senate today in voting to make Kendra’s Law permanent so that its provisions will continue to enhance public safety and improve care for the mentally ill.
Kendra’s Law is set to expire on June 30, after it was first enacted in 1999 following a tragic incident during which 32-year-old Kendra Webdale was pushed in front of a subway train by a man with untreated schizophrenia who was roaming New York City streets. The law allows for court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment for individuals who will not voluntarily seek help, and therefore remain a threat to public safety.
Since Kendra’s Law was enacted, studies have found that patients given mandatory outpatient treatment and who were more violent to begin with were four times less likely than members of a control group to perpetrate serious violence after undergoing AOT. The studies also found less frequent psychiatric hospitalizations, shorter lengths of hospitalizations, reductions in the likelihood of arrest, higher social functioning, less stigma, and no increase in perceived coercion.
“I believe many of the problems that continue to challenge our society all share a common nexus with mental illness, whether it’s violence and suicide, unemployment, police arrests, substance abuse or relationship problems,” Griffo said. “While many people who suffer from mental illness receive treatment and pose no danger to our communities, there are still those individuals who either refuse or don’t actively get help for their psychiatric issues. By allowing court-ordered treatment, Kendra’s Law has already proven effective in helping the mentally ill get the treatment they need.
“Making this law even stronger now will go further to prevent those who do need mental help from slipping through the cracks, so that we can better confront the violence and other problems in our community that are often linked to mental illness.”
Kendra’s Law is designed to prevent serious harm to the mentally ill person or others, but gaps still exist in the current system that must be fixed to make it more effective. This measure passed in the Senate would not only make Kendra’s Law permanent, but includes several provisions to enhance the current process of Assisted Outpatient Treatment, including:
- Requiring follow-up on those who move during the AOT period to ensure that they receive their treatment.
- Requiring an evaluation for AOT when mental health patients are released from inpatient treatment or incarceration so that people needing services do not fall through the cracks.
- Requiring counties to notify the Office of Mental Health when an assisted outpatient is missing and thereby unavailable for an evaluation as to whether he or she continues to meet AOT criteria.
- Requiring the Commissioner of OMH to develop an educational pamphlet on the AOT process of petitioning so that family members have information on how to file a report.
The bill has been sent to the Assembly, where it is sponsored by Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther (A604).