Governor Newsom and the state legislators recently enacted CARE Court to help address chronic homelessness and mental health problems. But reformers believe that the program, while well intentioned, will exacerbate rather than solve existing problems.
Criticisms range from the compulsive nature of the treatment to the lack of new money put into mental health treatment—a system stretched way too thin.
Joining Everyday Injustice is Karen Chien to discuss what she and others see as the problems and shortcoming of CARE Court.
Kara Chien has worked as a Deputy Public Defender since 1989 and has led the San Francisco Public Defender’s Mental Health Unit since 2007.
She and her team advocate against criminalizing individuals with mental illness, representing clients with developmental disabilities and chronic and severe mental illness in both civil and criminal court.
