Grassroots Challenges to the Effects of Prison Sprawl on Mental Health Services for Incarcerated People

<div> <div> <div> <p><span>New York State’s prison system is broken in several ways, many of which are linked to a fundamental geographical problem. Almost all of New York’s fifty-four state prisons are located in rural, under- resourced communities. Prison units serving people with mental health needs are concentrated in communities with major physician shortages. Without a drastic influx of resources, New York’s prisons will continue to over-utilize “half-measures,” such as video teleconferencing, in a failed attempt to meet the mental health needs of incarcerated people. Lawyers continue to develop strategies— most of which are based in Eighth Amendment litigation—to either improve prison mental health care or increase prison mental health resources. But litigation is not the solution to every social problem and it most likely will not solve this problem on its own. Eighth Amendment litigation cannot change demographics, ameliorate physician shortages, or reverse prison sprawl.</span></p> <p><span>Movement lawyers have known since time immemorial that grassroots approaches to major social problems—those that engage communities directly impacted and intentionally subsume the role of lawyers and legal work—create the most sustainable type of change. Grassroots approaches have successfully addressed prison and jail siting problems in New York. This Article argues that only through grassroots approaches can movement lawyers, activists, and advocates&nbsp;</span><span>address the underlying geographical problems causing the overuse of video teleconferencing, and other quality of care deficiencies, in New York State prisons. Though Eighth Amendment litigation will play a role, it will work only when combined with strong grassroots advocacy.</span></p> </div> </div> </div>