An Act to Reduce Recidivism by Improving Access to Benefits for Individuals
with Psychiatric Disabilities upon Release from Incarceration
Commentary on Article XI
States are facing difficult fiscal issues, and this model law can help
relieve some of the pressures on corrections, law enforcement and public
health budgets at these critical times. Implementation of the its provisions
should be a priority and should occur as soon as possible.
- New York City agreed to implement, 60 days after court approval,
a settlement agreement mandating the provision of a comprehensive range
of discharge planning services, including benefit reinstatement, for
individuals with mental illnesses who are inmates in city jails.1
- Colorado’s
2002 benefit-reinstatement law, mandating that correctional facilities
implement steps to facilitate benefit reinstatement for individuals
leaving jails and prisons, became effective six months after passage.2
Notes
1. Brad H. v. City of New York, No. 117882/99 (N.Y. Sup. Ct.
April 2, 2003) (consent decree).
2. C.R.S.A. § 17-1-113.5 (inmates
held in correctional facilities) and C.R.S.A. § 17-27-105.7 (offenders
held in community corrections programs).
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