We fight for the rights and opportunities of every Oklahoman.
Mental illness and justice involvement often coexist.
Attorneys need better tools to advise clients with mental illness.
A foundational project for every new Appleseed Center is a quick guide for attorneys that represent clients with mental illness in criminal cases. The guide, "Mental illness, Your Client, and the Criminal Law" is an invaluable resource that pulls together all of the mental health statutes to be used together in concert. It also walks you through the nuances of competency hearings, taking a plea of Not Guilty by Reason of Mental Illness (NGRMI), and more.
The guide presents the 10 Commandments of representing people with mental illness, as well as checklists for ensuring that you've covered all of your client's best interests.
There are also key markers for determining whether your client is understanding the important decision points in their cases.
Our new guide covers it all and it's completely free. We will be distributing the guide to new lawyers, but contact us if you want a hard copy by emailing info [at] okappleseed [dot] org.
Do you represent mentally ill clients?
We want to hear from you. What are the greatest challenges of representing clients who are struggling with mental illness? Do you feel your clients have enough access to resources? Are they treated fairly? Can they participate in their own defense in meaningful ways? If you want your very own toolkit to help up your game when dealing with mental illness in the courtroom, click below.