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. The guide, "Mental illness, the criminal law, and your client" is an invaluable resource that pulls together all of the mental health statutes to be used together in concert.
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 deterimining whether your client is understanding the important decision points in their cases.
Look for publication and dissemination of the guide in Summer 2022.
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? Please let us know.