disAbility Law Center of Virginia (dLCV) investigated the death of Irvo Otieno in March 2023. From his initial encounters with police and the hospital emergency room to his incarceration and transfer to Central State Hospital, dLCV discovered a complete breakdown of Virginia’s mental health crisis system, compounded by a culture of criminalizing individuals with mental illness, particularly communities of color. The system that was supposed to help Mr. Otieno utterly and completely failed him.
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Our View of the Legislature – Mental Health Discharge Rights
With still ten days remaining in the 2024 legislative session, some committees are completing their work and many bills have been through both the House and the Senate already. We continue to monitor bills that would address the Extraordinary Barriers List, as they make their way to the Governor. As we have noted here and...