miami – After years of ignoring the issue, the Florida Legislature has begun to address the mental health crisis in the criminal justice system.
“Well, it certainly didn't turn out as well as I had hoped,” Cindy Murphy said. “But I have really big goals. I think we need to fundamentally change the whole system, and that's not going to happen overnight.”
Murphy first came to Congress this year to advocate for the changes after her son, Tristin, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, committed suicide with a chainsaw in state prison after failing to receive the treatment he needed. His story was the focus of the CBS News Miami documentary “Warehoused: Tristin Murphy's Life and Death.”
“When I went to Tallahassee, I didn’t think I would accomplish anything great at first,” she said. “I had heard that members of Congress were not very concerned about mental health issues, especially those related to the criminal justice system. But I found the exact opposite to be true. We had a lot of elected officials, caring people who really cared about these issues and cared about change.”
The biggest change this year was the state's Baker Act amendment. The law allows police and family members to involuntarily commit a person to a psychiatric hospital for 72 hours if they pose an immediate threat to themselves or others. However, this law does not help much when his 72 hours are up. But legislation passed by Congress this year calls for the kind of follow-up care that has been missing.
”“This was a very good step in the right direction,” said Miami-Dade Judge Steve Liefman. “I especially like the idea that people who come out of the system need handover and treatment.” At the moment, most people get dropped, and that's part of the problem. ”
Liefman, who has pioneered the use of mental health courts across the country, said he has been trying to make these changes for more than a decade.
”“I was encouraged. It was a good session. It was the best session I've seen on these issues in about 15 years, and it was the first time in 60 years since the Baker Act that we moved the system. It was a session for Forward.”
Here in Florida, funding for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was increased, but Congress once again refused to expand Medicaid, which provides mental health coverage to nearly 1 million Floridians.
”“I hate that this is a political issue, because it shouldn't be. It should be in the best interest of our state, and it should be in the best interest of the individuals in our state,” Murphy said. said.
For Cindy Murphy, it's been three years since Tristin died, and she's now raising his two sons, Cody, 16, and Colton, 8. She admits that some days she wonders if she should focus her attention solely on those boys. she continues to speak out. But as Colton grows up and starts asking questions, she wants to tell him he did everything he could.
“If this is a catalyst for change, we can use this to change the system and help them understand that Tristin's life had meaning and was meaningful.” [his death] “I accomplished something for other people,” she said. “For those reasons, I think I still need to continue to fight it. And I just don't want anyone else to have to go through something like this. I mean, if I could, I would like my voice to be If I can make a difference, no matter how difficult it is, I need to keep using my voice.”
