Still Arresting Our Way Out: Why New York Needs to Expand Its Diversion Courts

• By: James Norton, MCJ National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York State (NAMI-NYS)
• October 12th, 2026
• co-occurring disorders, criminal justice system, diversion courts, Fall 2026 Issue, mental health courts, new york, substance use disorders, treatment court expansion, veterans courts
• 149    0

For decades, New Yorkers dealing with mental health and substance use issues have been funneled into our jails and prisons and denied the treatment they need to get better. Far too often, local correctional facilities end up serving as the default mental health provider. New York is not alone in...

A Call to Amend New York’s Constitution on Mental Health

• By: James Norton, MCJ National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York State (NAMI-NYS)
• July 29th, 2026
• behavioral health services, constitutional amendment, Medicaid, mental health parity, mental health policy, NAMI, New York State Constitution, SAMHSA, Summer 2026 Issue
• 400    0

For decades, New York has been a national leader in advancing mental health policy. Legislators, advocates, providers, and families have fought tirelessly to secure access to treatment, improve insurance coverage, and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. Yet despite these efforts, a...

When Internalized Ableism and Stigma Intersect

• By: Amanda McDowell National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York State (NAMI-NYS)
• July 13th, 2022
• ableism, disability payments, disability rights, employment, internalized ableism, mental health stigma, PROS, stigma, Summer 2022 Issue
• 9519    1

In February of 2020, I received a letter from the government that I had been approved for disability payments. According to their records, I had been disabled with incapacitating, treatment-resistant depression since November of 2017. The Social Security Administration’s definition of disability...