“Well, let’s face it, Joan . . . ”

The Criminalization of Mental Illness

March is National Criminal Justice Month and the disturbing matrimony between mental illness and our criminal justice system is at the forefront of my mind.

Last Sunday I had another visit with Chase at the Iowa Medical & Classification Center (IMCC) in Coralville where he’s imprisoned in the special needs unit (also sometimes called Oakdale), which hous…