Chapters Ten, Eleven: Restorative Justice
“The ‘free world’ became perilous for deinstitutionalized poor people suffering from mental disabilities. The inability of many disabled, low-income people to receive treatment or necessary medication dramatically increased their likelihood of a police encounter that would result in prison or jail time. Jail and prison became the state’s strategy for dealing with a health crisis created by drug use and dependency. A flood of mentally ill people headed to prison for minor offenses and drug crimes or simply for behaviors their communities were unwilling to tolerate.” – Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy, p. 188
I was born and raised in Cincinnati and saw few homeless or mentally ill persons in my suburban neighborhood or the downtown area during my early years. The initiative to move the institutionalized people with mental illness back to their communities really gained momentum when I was a young nurse in the 1970s and 1980s. As the number of people with serious mental illness on the public streets grew, so did the disparaging comments from family and friends regarding these people who were often categorized as “drunks,” “winos” and “drug addicts.” They were often perceived as unwilling or unable to get a job, and therefore, they were considered unworthy of kindness, help or even a smile.
It wasn’t until my most recent professional position that I had the privilege to work with adolescents and their families who suffered from mental illness. Most of these families were low income, single parent families whose economic challenges coupled with little family or church support resulted in unstable living arrangements and sustained stress. One young, African American teen with psychoses was being raised by his mother in a large family with limited income and resources. The family moved three times during the 3 years I worked with them and had little in the way of possessions. His mother was determined to keep this young man in school and away from gang activity and other negative influences, such as illegal drugs. However, the young man had difficulty sleeping and would wander the neighborhood at night; he was paranoid and would refuse to take medication or stay in school; and he could be influenced to steal from local merchants. All of these behaviors resulted in encounters with police and time spent in the Youth Home.
Reflecting on this young man’s challenges in our society and those of countless others like him, I can’t help but feel that Jesus is disappointed in our response to the needs of the mentally ill. Our primary goal cannot be a “one size fits all” solution that can be delivered “equitably” and “universally” at a “reasonable” cost. Jesus didn’t heal groups of people or types of illness collectively. He healed individuals’ needs after asking what the person wanted Jesus to do for him/her. Our society has traded one prison (the mental institutions) for another (correctional facilities). Neither solution addresses the needs of the individual suffering a chronic mental condition, nor asks as Jesus does, “what do you want me to do for you?” Especially in the case of those individuals suffering from mental illness and facing criminal charges, restorative justice practices that focus on individual needs more clearly reflects the Lord’s healing message.
Nancy Terhar is a retired, pediatric nurse who is married and has 2 young adult children. She enjoys singing, hiking and biking and is currently coordinating court watching in Washtenaw County juvenile delinquency court.
