CSG Releases The Advocacy Handbook: A Guide for Implementing Recommendations of the Criminal Justice / Mental Health Consensus Project

CSG is pleased to announce the release of a new resource for advocates interested in improving outcomes for people with mental illness involved in the criminal justice system, The Advocacy Handbook: A Guide for Implementing Recommendations of the Criminal Justice / Mental Health Consensus Project.

The Advocacy Handbook, the result of a joint effort among the Consensus Project, NAMI, the National Mental Health Association, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, and the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, is available online at: consensusproject.org/advocacy.

In recent years, there has been a growing chorus of advocates -- whether a person with mental illness, a family member with a loved one who has mental illness, or simply a concerned citizen -- urging policymakers to "do something" about the increasing numbers of people with mental illness involved in the criminal justice system.

This step-by-step guide helps advocates translate their energy into effective strategic plans. Equipped with recommendations that are constructive, bipartisan, practical, and reasonable, advocates can be effective partners to policymakers generally and leaders in the criminal justice and mental health systems specifically, said Representative Mike Lawlor (D-CT), co-chair of the Consensus Project. The Handbook is especially valuable because of the consensus it represents. The guide draws extensively upon the landmark Criminal Justice / Mental Health Consensus Project Report, which was released in 2002 by CSG on behalf of an extraordinary, bipartisan group of leaders in the criminal justice and mental health system. Like the Consensus Project Report, The Handbook was developed with input from a variety of distinct and independent mental health organizations. Consensus Project staff are grateful to the leaders and staff of each of these groups for their commitment to this issue and their determination to speak with one voice on these topics.

The Handbook also includes profiles of effective advocacy efforts, in which advocates have partnered with state and local government agencies to change policies or launch programs that increase public safety, save lives, and cut spending. Please share your stories of advocacy in action, by filling out a short survey available here. If you have any questions regarding the Handbook or survey, please do not hesitate to contact Hope Glassberg, 212-482-2320.