Advancing Equity at the Intersection of Race, Mental Illness, and Criminal Justice Involvement

This book is designed for every attorney who handles criminal cases, regardless of experience with cases involving people who have mental illness or with social justice topics. The concepts in the book are deep enough to provide new insights to those well versed in topics covered, while simple enough that novices can walk away with immediately usable techniques and a conceptual framework for incorporating equitable lawyering into their practice. Finally, a list of tools and resources follows each chapter to support further learning and to address cases at hand. Following the theme of equity, all tools and resources listed are accessible to all attorneys, regardless of financial and resources availability.Table of ContentsPart I: FoundationsScoping the ProblemGetting Grounded: Foundational Practice Tips for Recognizing Mental Illness Stigma Part II: How Criminal Justice Professionals Can Help Advance EquityEthical Pathways to AdvocacyEstablishing Lawyering Tools for Advance EquityPart III: Equity on Both Sides of the Adversarial SystemThe Role of Prosecutors in Advancing EquityThe Role of Defense Attorneys in Advancing EquityPart IV: Advancing Equity Across the Criminal Justice ContinuumIntent Criminal Justice Involvement and Pre-AdjudicationPost-Adjudication and the Aftermath of Criminal Justice InvolvementSpecial Considerations for Witnesses and Survivors of CrimePart V: Moving from Theory to ActionNavigating Authorities to Advance Equity