ADVOCACY NEWS FROM NAMI NEW JERSEY:
1. PANEL HEARS CALLS FOR POLICE TO EMPLOY LESS-LETHAL FORCE
2. BILL GIVES PARENTS AN EDGE IN SPECIAL-EDUCATION FIGHTS
3. HAVEN OF HOPE FOR VETS
4. DISABILITY BENEFITS FOR MENTAL ILLS ASKED
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PANEL HEARS CALLS FOR POLICE TO EMPLOY LESS-LETHAL FORCE
Police in New Jersey this year have killed two men and critically
injured a 15-year-old boy after responding to calls of a
person in emotional distress. Such tragedies might have
been avoided if the responding officers had been equipped
with less-lethal ammunition -- such as bean bags or rubber
bullets -- and been trained on how to deal with mentally
ill people, law enforcement and mental health experts said
yesterday.
Read the Star Ledger report:
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-8/119622895154690.xml&coll=1
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BILL GIVES PARENTS AN EDGE IN SPECIAL-EDUCATION FIGHTS
A key legislative committee yesterday endorsed a bill that
would place the legal "burden of proof" on school
districts in court disputes over special education, giving
a boost to families contesting districts' programs. The
state Senate Education Committee's unanimous vote came after
more than two hours of often emotional testimony, most of
it from parents and advocates supporting the bill and claiming
that current rules put families at a disadvantage. If passed,
the bill would effectively counter a U.S. Supreme Court
ruling in 2005.
See more:
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-0/119640165093280.xml&coll=1
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HAVEN OF HOPE FOR VETS
Run by the Parsippany- based nonprofit Community Hope,
the Hope for Veterans Transitional Housing Program at the
Lyons Veterans Administration Campus currently has 70 fully
booked beds for homeless veterans and hopes to open its
new wing., in the coming weeks. Most residents at Hope for
Veterans are referred from the VA's mental health unit or
the drug rehabilitation program at the Domiciliary for Homeless
Veterans, a more intense, short-term program on the Lyons
campus. Hope for Veterans is seen as a step-up program where
residents can stay for up to two years.
Read more:
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/somerset/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1196141862126760.xml&coll=1
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DISABILITY BENEFITS FOR MENTAL ILLS ASKED
3 law enforcement officers pursue suits
In a set of cases that could affect thousands of state
workers, three officers' claims will go before the state
Supreme Court on Wednesday. The justices will be asked to
decide whether injuries to mind and body should be treated
alike in awarding disability benefits. They claim in lawsuits
against the state that while they have no physical injuries,
their on-the-job psychological traumas qualify them for
accidental disability benefits, which are more generous
than ordinary disability payments.
See the full report:
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1196055952253430.xml&coll=1
