NYC program keeps tabs on about 100 people with history of psychiatric problems and violence
In what appears to be a unique program, New York City is keeping tabs on about 100 people with a history of psychiatric problems and violence.
The program is raising concerns among some mental-health advocates and civil libertarians, the Associated Press reports.
The program, called NYC Safe, began last year after some high-profile attacks committed by people believed to have mental illness. Some people are put on the monitoring list based on referrals from homeless shelters or even crime stories in newspapers, according to a city memo obtained by the Associated Press. There is no formal mechanism for getting off the list.
NYC Safe staffers monitor criminal cases of those on the list, and make sure those on the list show up for treatment. They also try to connect people on the list with housing, jobs or other services when they are released from jail or the hospital.
Critics fear privacy abuses and infringements on liberty. In one case, a mayoral aide urged the involuntary commitment of a man on the list after doctors found no need for commitment. The man was involuntarily hospitalized for a week until a judge ordered his release.
