USA Today (6/14, Weichselbaum) reports, “Suicides, post traumatic stress disorder and other mental-health problems that afflict corrections officers as well as police officers are an underreported sector of the criminal justice system.” Now “an awakening of sorts – from the halls of Congress to the prisons of California – is under way.” Recently, “the California peace officers association completed the first major step of a partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, by analyzing the results of a 61-question survey from more than 8,600 corrections and parole officers statewide.” The survey “responses serve as the basis for an ambitious plan to develop, test and implement a range of mental health services for officers across the state’s prison system.” Meanwhile, last month on Capitol Hill, “the Senate unanimously passed the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act.”
Related Links: