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| How This Program Keeps Mentally Ill Offenders Out Of Prison |
| By thinkprogress.org- Sam P.K. Collins |
| Published: 09/18/2015 |
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The last 27 years of Luvell Pierre Gipson’s life have been peppered with stints in prison, bouts with bipolar disorder, and unsuccessful attempts to stop using narcotics. Desperate to support his family — and his drug habit — Gipson shoplifted from a Chicago-area Best Buy last summer. That decision landed him in jail again, but his most recent stay in police custody would be different. At the prodding of Cook County law enforcement officials, Gipson enrolled in a therapy program at the police department’s newly launched mental health transition center, located an hour outside of Chicago at the sheriff’s office. For six months, he committed to a treatment plan for his bipolar disorder, sifted through deep-seated depressive feelings with a psychotherapist, and completed academic coursework. Shortly after completing the program, a drug-free and clear-thinking Gipson eagerly started classes at a local community college. Now sober for nearly a year, he balances a full-time academic schedule with a part-time job and visits back to the place he credits with changing his life trajectory. Read More. |
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