The Social and Behavioral Sciences Division at Chattanooga State Community College will present its Criminal Justice Speaker Series addressing “The Mental Health Crisis in Our Criminal Justice System,” at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27 in the Health Science Center (HSC) room 1087 on the main campus. This event is free and open to the public.

Mentally ill people make decisions that are not always within the best discretion when they do not have appropriate resources and guidance. “Fifty-six percent of state prisoners and 45 percent of federal prisoners have a mental health problem,” states Michael McCamish, associate professor of the Criminal Justice Program at Chattanooga State. McCamish goes on to state that mental illness is a public health problem that the criminal justice system is expected to solve, but that law enforcement and correctional professionals are expected to care for a growing mental health population without proper training and resources.

Citizens from all walks of life make up the panel that will discuss the mental health crisis and how it affects the criminal justice system. Panelists include:

Sabrina Butler Smith, exonerated from Mississippi’s Death Row and Cynthia Vaughn, whose step-father is currently on Tennessee’s Death Row, will share their experiences of the death penalty from individual perspectives.

Jennie Alexander served five years as chaplain for Tennessee’s Death Row and now works with ex-offenders through her organization No Exceptions Prison Collective as its director.

Marcus Easley, a retired police officer from Chattanooga Police Department, will share first-hand realities about the police who have to handle the mental health population on the street.

Boyd Patterson serves as a public defender for the Hamilton County Mental Health Court.

Scott Berry, from Bradford Health Services, will address the psychological and physiological effects of addiction on behavior.

The series is sponsored by Chattanooga State’s Social Justice Club, Multicultural Services, Psychology Club and Veterans Club. For more information, contact Dr. Michael McCamish at 423.697.2587.