Justyna Rzewinski : A Whistleblower's Fight for Mental Health in Prisons
Episode description
Justyna Rzewinski shares her experience as a whistleblower after working at Rikers Island and her ongoing advocacy for criminal justice reform focusing on mental health treatment.
• Working with different organizations to close Rikers Island and advocating for better treatment of mentally ill inmates
• Fighting for smaller borough-based jails to replace Rikers, potentially saving $1 billion annually from DOC's $2.8 billion budget
• Advocating for mental health courts and programs to divert people with mental illness away from incarceration
• Connecting pre-trial defendants to mental health services, education, employment, and housing resources
• Witnessing remarkable transformations when mentally ill inmates receive proper treatment in appropriate facilities
• Challenging misconceptions about mental illness through education and sharing personal experiences
• Working on legislation to mandate healthcare professionals to report abuse seen in correctional facilities
• Demonstrating how one voice speaking up against injustice can create meaningful systemic change
Our experience shows that mental illness treatment works when provided in appropriate settings. We encourage everyone to learn more about criminal justice reform and share these conversations to create better understanding and awareness.
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intro/outro music bed written by T. Wild
Why Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)