New Years 2017: Cops to use 'mental health assessments' on everyone (Updated)
image credit: WikiHow
Happy New Year and welcome to nightmare 2017.
Last week, I warned everyone that beginning next year, cops will be using pot breathalyzers to arrest innocent people but what's about to happen in Texas, should scare the you know what out of everyone.
Cops to use 'mental health assessments' on everyone
According to an article in the 'Dallas News' beginning this spring, Texas cops will begin using 'Mental Health Assessments' (MHA) on everyone!
"Once at jail, anyone who is arrested will be screened for mental illness. The jail will send those results to judges to consider when setting bond. The county will also start using a risk assessment tool to arrive at an estimated level of danger and flight risk posed by each defendant."
"Defendants' potential release from jail will hinge on mental health and public safety considerations, not just the criminal charges they face and a financial ability to pay bond."
What's disturbing about this article, is how the Feds claim that turning cops into mental health specialists will save taxpayers money. Don't be surprised when cops across the country become DRE and MHA experts.
A Practice Central.org article, reveals an 'MHA' is "neither definitively diagnostic nor a definitive indication of a specific condition or disorder." There is very little difference between an 'MHA' and a 'Behavioral Health Assessment' (BHA). (Click here to read an MHA form and here to read a BHA form).
Keep in mind, the cost to incarcerate mentally ill prisoners is TWENTY times greater than treatment.
Updated 1/2/17:
Bias in 'assessments' is mathematically inevitable
A recent article in Pro Publica reveals that bias in assessments is inevitable.
"Researchers found that the formula, and others like it, have been written in a way that guarantees black defendants will be inaccurately identified as future criminals more often than their white counterparts."
"Defendants inaccurately classed as “high risk’’ and deemed more likely to be arrested in the future may be treated more harshly than is just or necessary, said Alexandra Chouldechova, Assistant Professor of Statistics & Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University."
400 risk assessment tools being used to keep people locked up
The 'Global Institute of Forensic Research' (GIFR) video, claims the risk assessment with the "strongest goodness of fit" is the right one for law enforcement!
In the above video, GIFR claims they'll decide, which of the 400 risk assessments fits law enforcements needs. GIFR also boasts "how they improve both compliance and outcomes in assessment, treatment, and monitoring."
"Strongest goodness of fit," that's what cops are using to keep people locked up!
A look at GFIR's customers reveals, that at least eight states and six state corrections departments let GFIR decide which risk assessment is right to keep people locked up. GFIR also publishes an Executive Bulletin that lets agencies stay up-to-date on every new risk assessment that gets published.
Jerod Brown's a 'Forensic Risk Assessment Beginners Guide' admits there are over 400 risk assessment tools in use worldwide.
"Over the past 30 years, more than 400 forensic risk assessment tools have been developed for the purposes of predicting the likelihood of future violence, sex offending and general recidivism."
How is this possible? How can their be over 400 accurate risk assessment tools?
Does anyone really think assessments are scientific?
For more information about jails being used as mental health facilities, click here.
Foundations with close ties to police set up 'mental health assessments'
The Meadows Foundation is overseeing implementation of the three-year Smart Justice grant from the W.W. Caruth Foundation.
"This is one of the most exciting initiatives of its type in the country," said John Petrila, a vice president for the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute.
The W.W. Caruth Foundation has strong ties to the Dallas police department which opened the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Police Institute (CPI) in 2009.
"The CPI represents a powerful partnership between the city of Dallas (Dallas Police Department) and the University of North Texas at Dallas, with an additional relationship with the University of Texas at Dallas."
"The CPI is located within the Dallas Police Department (DPD) Headquarters Building and is linked to the day-to-day operations of the DPD."
Nine bogus 'risk assessments' in use right now:
Americans being given threat assessments while travelling inside the U.S.
Probation officers give nearly 7 million Americans threat assessments
Grade school kids are being given social and emotional mindset assessments
Welcome to 2017: America, home of the brave risk assessment.