Public Attorney Jumaane Williams raised concerns about the city’s plan to involuntarily hospitalize more people with serious, untreated mental illness in an interview Wednesday, criticizing his “lack of clarity” and reliance on the NYPD.
A directive issued Tuesday by Adams will allow city-led “intervention teams” to remove people suffering from severe mental health crises from city streets and subways if they appear unable to meet their “basic human needs.”
Speaking with NY1’s Rocco Vertuccio Wednesday afternoon, Williams said there are “parts of the plan that we like,” but argued that others raised more questions than answers.
What you need to know
- Public Attorney Jumaane Williams raised concerns about the city’s plan to involuntarily hospitalize more people with severe, untreated mental illness in an interview Wednesday, criticizing his “lack of clarity” and reliance on the NYPD
- A directive issued by Adams on Tuesday will allow city-led “response squads” to remove people suffering from severe mental health crises from city streets and subways if they appear unable to meet their “basic human needs”
- Through Tuesday, city agencies have involuntarily hospitalized only New Yorkers who posed an immediate danger to themselves or the general public
“There’s a lot of general stuff there – we’re actually sending a letter to the mayor and the administration to try and get a little more clarity on what is meant by this plan – because there’s a lack of clarity in so many places, except for , more and more people are being removed involuntarily,” he said.
“Our concern is that, even for the parts we like, there is no information on how much funding will go to mobile crisis teams, how much funding will go to shelters, and which parts will actually provide the needed care,” he added.
Through Tuesday, city agencies have involuntarily hospitalized only New Yorkers who posed an immediate danger to themselves or the general public.
The new directive will allow them to hospitalize anyone who “appears to be mentally ill and shows an inability to meet basic life needs, even when no recent dangerous act has been observed”.
While Williams Tuesday he praised the city’s efforts to connect New Yorkers in need to shelters, safe havens and other services — a push he called for in a report released by his office in 2019 — he said was too much”stubbornly insisting on using the police as primary decision makers in mental health emergencies.
The teams transporting New Yorkers in crisis to hospitals for evaluation will be made up of NYPD officers and health care workers, the mayor said Tuesday.
“Now, of course, if the police are thought to be needed, they should be ready to do the job they are there for,” Williams said on Wednesday. “But what we shouldn’t assume is that a mental health call requires a police response, and that’s been the problem from the start.”
“We actually need a different number, which we’ve requested, so people can call to get the assistance they need,” he added. “We shouldn’t be asking the police to make medical decisions, to involuntarily send someone to the hospital.”
The public advocate also raised concerns about the plan’s ability to provide long-term care for people with mental health issues.
“We don’t want to start rounding up people because it looks like they need help. We want to make sure people get the help they need,” she said.
“People who travel on the subway, my wife, my 14-year-old son, they want to be safe, they want to feel safe. But they also know that they don’t want people to just be arrested and taken away,” he added. “They want them to get the care they deserve.”
NY1 has reached out to City Hall for comment on Williams’ remarks.