News & Press

City Limits

“We definitely support the [phones] initiative,” Jennifer Parish, director of criminal justice advocacy at the Urban Justice Center Mental Health Project told THE CITY. “But it doesn’t make up for the fact that they are not connecting people with the services that they need.”

TruthOut

"The most recent report, despite its substantial expense to the citizens of New York City, merely corroborates what individuals previously incarcerated … have consistently asserted on record,” [said] Chaplain Dr. Victoria A. Phillips, [a staff member with the Mental Health Project] and leading member of JAC."

The Nation

"On June 13, Marco Barrios, a criminal justice advocate at the [Mental Health Project of the] Urban Justice Center, interviewed Lewis...Lewis told Barrios that he has been physically abused by Great Meadow officers and other incarcerated individuals."

City Limits

"Despite the mayor’s repeated statements that he wants to fund more ‘upstream’ services that address the city’s mental health crisis, his agenda, instead, focuses on post-crisis points and increased law enforcement...the mayor must invest in more preventive and evidenced-based supports. - Jennifer J. Parish & Marco Barrios, Mental Health Project

CBS News

"You have a right to human rights, a right to medical care. If a commissioner hides the truth, he should be removed," said Dt. Victoria A. Phillips of the Jails Action Coalition [a project co-founded by our Mental Health Project].

MHP

Frequent criminal involvement is often due to a culmination of unmet needs—such as substance use disorder, homelessness, and health conditions—which is why early diversion or removal of an individual from the criminal legal system is best to disrupt the cycle.