03.17.22friday_forum

Please join us online

ICUJP Friday Forum
March 17th, 7:30-9:30 am Pacific

Care First, Jails Last: Why can't California keep people with mental illness out of jail and how do we fix this?

Event Description: People do not "get well in a cell." Jail is the wrong place for people struggling with mental illness. In Los Angeles, 40% of the men and 66% of the women incarcerated in our jail system live with a severe mental illness. New laws and programs bring hope for more understanding, resources, and justice in California, but our statewide efforts have lacked scale and commitment. We have a long way to go.

Join the conversation with our speakers:

Mark Gale is the Criminal Justice Chair of NAMI (National alliance on Mental Illness) Greater Los Angeles County and serves on advisory committees for the LA County District Attorney's Office and the Office of Diversion and Reentry. He attends various county meetings on behalf of NAMI GLAC and engages the system at both the county and state levels. Mark has been honored with several awards for his hard and creative work in the criminal justice field as it relates to mental illness. He is the father of a son with a serious mental illness.

Dick Bunce's career combined pastoral ministry with various forms of social work. He is a former chair of ICUJP. Regarding the mental health field, he has been executive director of the Pomona Valley Chapter of NAMI and subsequently interim ED of NAMI LA County Council (now called NAMI Greater Los Angeles County.) Dick is now retired, though busy with community work.

His son was afflicted with paranoid schizophrenia during his college years. For the next twenty years he rotated through hospitals, jails, homelessness, and times of relative stability.

Learn More/Here's how YOU can help:

Website:
National Alliance on Mental Illness

7:30 - 7:35 Log in and socialize
7:35 - 7:45 Welcome and introductions
7:45 - 7:50 Reflection (5 min. maximum)
7:50 - 9:15 Program and Q&A
9:15 - 9:20 Announcements
9:20 - 9:30 Closing circle and prayer

Start your morning with us!

Facilitator: Phil Way
Reflector: Steve Rohde

** Meetings begin promptly at 7:30 am Pacific. **

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Here's how to join the online meeting:

To join by video conference, you'll need to download the Zoom app on your computer or mobile device. Click on the link to join the meeting and then enter the Meeting ID number and passcode. You'll be able to see slides and video, as well as speakers and other attendees.

If you prefer to join by phone, you'll be prompted to enter the Meeting ID number and passcode. You won't be able to see the visuals or attendees, but you can view them on the meeting video recording afterward.

If you're new to Zoom and would like to use the video option, we recommend you download the app well ahead of time.

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Please note: Our Friday Forums and other events are open to the public. By attending, you consent to having your voice and likeness recorded, photographed, posted on ICUJP's website and social media, and included in ICUJP materials and publications for noncommercial purposes. If you don't want to be photographed or recorded, please let the facilitator know.