There's a detective at the door; she wants to say 'sorry'

Caitlin Schmidt

May 22, 2021 |

Arizona Daily Star |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Tucson, Arizona

Using a federal grant to reopen unsolved sexual assault cases, Tucson police and prosecutors have provided hundreds of victims with something they were denied when they first reported being attacked: a clear sense that authorities take their cases seriously. Dozens of possible serial rapists were identified when DNA testing was finally performed, and several suspects were prosecuted. When notifying victims their long-ago cases were getting a second look, detectives and victim advocates start with an apology for neglecting or mishandling the cases in the past.

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“You Save as Long as You Have To”

Catherine Rentz

May 22, 2021 |

ProPublica |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

The first DNA database in unsolved rape cases was created at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center nearly 50 years ago by a forensic pathologist who was appalled by the callous treatment of rape victims and the impunity their attackers were granted. Dr. Rudiger Breitenecker's methodical storage of physical evidence and meticulous documentation enabled dozens of convictions, and some exonerations, decades later with the development of DNA testing. Baltimore County's use of the evidence became a model for other prosecutors and police around the country.

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In San Francisco, Help Hits the Streets with a Crisis Response Team

Natalie Mead

May 21, 2021 |

What's Next Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Six San Francisco neighborhoods are now served by the city's Street Crisis Response Teams, which answer 911 calls for non-violent mental or behavioral health crises without police involvement. In its first two months in one neighborhood, the Tenderloin, the team handled 199 calls without any violent incidents or any need for police intervention. That led to the expansion to five more neighborhoods. The program is modeled on Eugene, Oregon's CAHOOTS project's street medics and counselors, but with an additional "peer specialist," someone with lived experience to counsel unhoused people on the streets.

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Overdose Lifeline, state providing a new hope the opioid crisis fight

Stephanie Wade

May 21, 2021 |

WRTV-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Indiana

Indiana partnered with Overdose Lifeline to make the overdose reversal medication naloxone available via NaloxBoxes. The boxes, which are placed in neutral public areas that aren’t intimidating, hold several kits that each contain one dose of naloxone, instructions on how to use it, and referrals to treatment centers. The boxes make the drug available to anyone 24 hours a day without having to interact with someone. Removing the stigma of having to ask for naloxone makes it more accessible. The 60 boxes currently in use are in areas with the most overdoses and have been used hundreds of times.

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Philly mothers of gun violence victims work to solve their children's murders

Jo Piazza

May 20, 2021 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia police fail to solve most of the city's growing number of homicides, in part because of the no-snitching street code, a byproduct of the community's lack of trust in police. But the streets do sometimes talk when the mothers of murder victims do their own detective work. A number of cases were solved because mothers turned their grief into a resolve to hunt down evidence that they turned over to the police. Their work grows out of the many support groups they have formed to help each other, and from a YouTube channel that helps them draw attention to unsolved murders.

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How Alameda County addresses mental-health crisis response

Stephen Baxter

May 20, 2021 |

Santa Cruz Local |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Alameda and Santa Cruz counties have fielded their own mobile teams to respond to mental health crises as alternatives to police-only responses. Aimed at reducing conflicts with police, overuse of hospitals and jails, and involuntarily commitments for short-term emergency mental health care, the services' limited hours and resources mean that the police still handle the majority of such calls. Alameda's pilot, begun in July 2020, is able to provide help to about one-third of the four dozen monthly calls it gets. Santa Cruz's volume is higher. Impacts on involuntary commitments unclear.

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From LA jail, two inmates pioneer care for mentally ill peers

Francine Kiefer

May 18, 2021 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

At the Los Angeles County Jail, two men incarcerated on pending murder charges created a homegrown approach to improving the care and conditions of confinement for people with serious mental illness. Their approach is simple: showing love and care for people whose illness makes them feel like outcasts. By helping fellow incarcerated men attend counseling and other programs, and by tending to their personal needs, the initiative has contributed to a significant drop in people harming themselves. Fewer restraints are needed, and the pods where the program operates are notably cleaner and calmer than before.

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L'organisme qui intervient sans policiers lors de crises de santé mentale

Camille Gris Roy

May 17, 2021 |

Radio Canada |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Toronto

A Toronto, le centre Gerstein déploie depuis plus de 30 ans ses propres équipes mobiles communautaires sur le terrain pour répondre aux crises de santé mentale ou de dépendance. Un numéro permet d'appeler et, si besoin, des travailleurs spécialisés en situation de crise sont envoyés en visite sans escorte policière. Après l'appel, le centre peut aussi orienter vers des conseillers, psychiatres, proposer un séjour au centre, de rejoindre des groupes de soutien ou se faire référer à d’autres organismes. Un modèle dont veut désormais s'inspirer la ville de Toronto.

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Possibilities of Progress: Integrating Crisis Care Infrastructure into the Philadelphia Police Force and the United States

Nana AmaAddo

May 15, 2021 |

FunTimes Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom

To increase the safety of people in mental health crisis, Philadelphia police train most officers in crisis intervention tactics and try to build better-informed responses into 911 operations. But problems persist. In the U.K., similar challenges – also disproportionately affecting Black people – have been addressed with a nationwide Crisis Team UK program. Calls for help can be answered by teams integrating multiple talents, from psychiatry to social work. Though progress has not been uniform nationwide, satisfaction and safety have improved, according to activists and a small survey.

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On Parole, Staying Free Means Staying Clean and Sober

Tammy La Gorce

May 14, 2021 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Jersey

People in two New Jersey counties who were at risk of abusing opioids while on parole were given extra support services, and an immediate trip to rehab instead of back to prison when they slipped up. The pilot program is New Jersey's version of Swift, Certain and Fair, a federally funded program to help people succeed while on parole. In some of the 30 states with SCF programs, copying the original and successful Hawaii model didn't work. But New Jersey's approach to helping people succeed instead of laying traps to send them back to prison was deemed a success with a small, focused pilot program.

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