NAMI’s Position (Summarized from the NAMI Policy Platform)
Treatment, not punishment: NAMI believes that persons who have
committed offenses due to states of mind or behavior caused by a
brain disorder require treatment, not punishment. NAMI believes
that a prison or jail is never an optimal therapeutic setting.
NAMI believes that mental health systems have an obligation to
develop and implement systems of appropriate care for
individuals whose untreated brain disorders may cause them to
engage in inappropriate or criminal behaviors. Treatment while
in correctional settings: NAMI believes that states and
communities have legal and ethical obligations to provide people
with brain disorders humane and effective treatment while in
correctional settings. Training and education: NAMI believes
that education about brain disorders at all levels of judicial
and legal systems is crucial to the appropriate disposition of
cases involving offenders with brain disorders. Judges, lawyers,
police officers, correctional offi