NONPROFIT REGISTER | Mental Health Colorado to hold virtual criminal justice summit

January 25, 2021

By: Michael Karlik

Originally appeared in Colorado Politics

Mental Health Colorado

Denver, CO

News: Mental Health Colorado will host the Colorado Counties Virtual Summit on Mental Health and Criminal Justice on Feb. 4 to discuss policies that touch on law enforcement’s intersection with people suffering from unmanaged mental health needs.

“Police and sheriffs feel stuck in the awkward position of being the only game in town when it comes to mental health crisis response and providing secure transportation and in-patient settings and they are some of our best co-advocates for passing laws and changing practices so that jails and prisons don’t remain the state’s primary mental health facilities,” said Vincent Atchity, the group’s CEO and president.

The virtual summit will last from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and feature speakers from Colorado as well as Judge Steve Leifman from Miami-Dade County, who helped establish a jail diversion initiative in his jurisdiction.

About the group: Mental Health Colorado is an advocacy group for mental wellness, equitable access to care, and ending discrimination against those with mental illness.

Websites: https://www.mentalhealthcolorado.org/