Mental health groups say new {Canadian} crime bill fuels stigma

It's mental health month...clearly time to crack down.
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http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/05/07/pol-ncr-bill-mental-health-groups.html?cmp=rss

The government's proposed changes to laws dealing with those found not criminally responsible for alleged crimes will fuel a stigma and teach Canadians to be afraid of people living with mental illness, advocates said Tuesday.

Chris Summerville, CEO of the Schizophrenia Society of Canada, said the coalition of groups supports the measures in the bill designed to support victims of crime, but the rest of it is flawed.

"We understand the need to protect Canadians from individuals who commit violent crimes however, this bill as it is currently written will not do this," he said. "What this bill has done is to tell Canadians that they should be afraid of people living with mental illness. Fearing people living with mental illness will only set us back."

The proposed not criminally responsible (NCR) reform act seeks to create a new "high-risk offender" designation for those who have been declared NCR because of mental illness. The high-risk designation would be given by the courts, not the existing review boards that currently determine the timing of an accused's release and his or her supervision afterwards.

High-risk offenders could not be discharged until a court agrees to lift the designation; they would not be eligible for unescorted passes into the community and could have their mandatory review period extended from one year up to three years.

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