July 30th, 2015

Paton spoke the other night at the Riley Institute on his past experiences with law enforcement and prisons in South Carolina. soldes newbalance He covered his current advocacy work with CIT training and how it has improved the outcomes for police enounters with mentally ill individuals. new balance pas cher He was also able to speak on the importance of mental health courts, and how the recent mental health court program act that passed in the SC legislature will help improve the lives mentally ill inmates. soldes newbalance

I was incredibly honored to be invited to speak at this event tonight that included the Chief of police from Charleston, the Director of the SCDOC, The Director of The SCPPP, The Sheriff of Richland County and several more distinct advocates in our community including Stuart Andrews of Nelson Mullins. newbalance pas cher – Paton

The Riley Institute at Furman is also still having presentations for the next couple of weeks on prisons and the justice system in South Carolina! You can learn more about the Riley Institute’s Summer Series on their website, and how to purchase tickets.

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March 27, 2015

Yesterday the SC Senate granted a second reading of the bill S.426, the Mental Health Court Program Act, allowing it to move further into the legislation process. The vote was 40-0 in favor of passing the bill. This is a major step in getting this bill passed in the SC Senate! The bill will be going to a third reading in the Senate probably sometime next week, and after that, it will move on to the House of Representatives. This is an exciting time, and it’s thanks to everyone who contacted their senators to tell them to push forward with this bill. Now we will need to begin to push forward this bill in the SC House of Representatives so that they will be aware of how the Mental Health Court Program Act will benefit the state, and for them to support it! You can find your local house members by clicking here–we will have more information on this soon. New Balance Baskets Femme Thank you to everyone again for your support on this bill! SC is moving forward to mental health reform!

Read the full article in the Greenville News

Currently, three mental health courts operate in Greenville, Columbia and Charleston. Grants for their operation ran out years ago but they have continued to operate, officials say. soldes newbalance Two other courts have closed in recent years due to lack of funding. “I’m overwhelmed,” said Paton Blough, a Greenville mental health advocate who proposed the bill last year. “It’s a bill that I believe will save lives, make the community safer and save taxpayers money.” Sen. Vincent Sheheen, a Camden Democrat and the bill’s sponsor, asked the Senate afterward to thank Blough for his work on the bill. Sheheen’s bill doesn’t include funding but he has said he hopes to eventually find money in the budget to assist the courts. solde newbalance map The bill was amended to prohibit participation by violent offenders and to require that victims be notified when offenders enter the program. The legislation does not mandate mental health courts but instead creates a statewide program with the provision that solicitors who accept state dollars for such courts must create them within six months. “It is purely optional for the solicitors,” Sen. acheter newbalance Shane Massey, an Edgefield Republican, told the Senate. newbalance pas cher The programs under the bill are operated by each judicial circuit’s solicitor but allows those already in existence that might be operated by a probate judge under a prior court order to continue.

Read the full article in the Greenville News

Read this full article on the WLTX 19 Website

The State Senate voted 40-0 in favor of a bill Thursday that could expand mental health courts across the state. Mental health courts divert those with mental health issues away from the criminal justice system. Mental health advocate Paton Blough went through the program and has been pushing for this bill. “We’ve worked so hard to get to this point, and I’m just so thankful to see all the senators working together to get meaningful legislation passed that will help save lives,” Blough said. “To be a part of it just feels overwhelming.” Senators have also been passionate about getting this bill passed. Chaussures Homme New Balance Sen. Vincent Sheheen said after seeing the current system for patients with mental illness, he wanted a change. “Folks who were just mentally ill were just locked up for months at a time,” Sen. Sheehen said. “When I saw that kind of human tragedy, I looked for a solution, and I saw that in some few counties, mental health courts have been making a difference. This bill will allow mental health courts to be established in every community in South Carolina.” The bill will now be read in the Senate for final approval, which is expected to take place next Tuesday.

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May 22nd, 2015

The Huffington Post has published a piece on the cruelty and injustice in US prisons towards inmates with mental illnesses. soldes newbalance chaussures Paton is featured in the article where he talks about his experiences with the justice system and prisons as a person with bipolar. acheter newbalance The article and Paton also takes the time to talk about CIT training and how it can help aid law enforcement when dealing with mentally ill individuals.

You can read the full article on the Huffington Post website.

Human Rights Watch has released a report, Callous and Cruel, on the “unnecessary, excessive, and even malicious force” used in jails and prison to control inmates with mental illness. newbalance 2018 pas cher It’s an issue that NAMI has long been concerned with, except that it’s more than an issue or a concern. It’s an outrage that should shock the conscience of America and we need your help to change it. People unfortunately often end up in jail or prison when they don’t get effective treatment for mental illness. vente de newbalance In another report this year, Incarceration’s Front Door, the Vera Institute of Justice found that more than two million people with mental illness are booked into county jails alone, but as many as 80 percent don’t get treatment after they arrive.

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Better outcomes include recovery and wellness.. NAMI South Carolina leader Paton Blough’s story serves as inspiration. acheter newbalance At the age of 26, he was jailed after onset of a manic episode. New Balance Baskets Femme Over three years he was arrested six times and every time, he was convinced police intended to murder him. He received two felony convictions for actions while incarcerated — spitting on a guard and threatening a public official. new balance femme pas cher Financially he was ruined. He lost his home in foreclosure, his marriage and contact with his children. As part of recovery, Paton had to overcome the stigma he himself internalized. His actions weren’t a reflection of bad character, but instead medical illness. Today, he helps train police officers for CIT programs.

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March 18th, 2015

Senate Judiciary Panel Passes Mental Health Courts Bill! Yesterday was a major step for mental health reform in South Carolina! The SC Senate Judiciary Committee voted 23-0 for the Bill S.426, the Mental Health Court Program Act, to move forward to the SC House. new balance pas cher This is a crucial piece of legislation that will help reduce the number of mentally ill individuals incarcerated in state prisons, while diverting them to appropriate mental health services. This bill passing the SC Senate yesterday was thanks to not only the efforts of Paton Blough and other mental health advocates and local politicians, but also everyone who contacted their senators to encourage them to support the Mental Health Court Program Act. Thank you for your support now and in the future as this bill moves through the legislative process!

Read the full article about the vote in the Greenville News.

The Senate Judiciary Committee today voted unanimously to approve a bill to expand mental health courts in the state, sending the proposal to the full Senate. Sen. vente de newbalance Shane Massey, an Edgefield Republican, said the bill establishes a framework for a statewide system that is already being used in several judicial circuits. “These things have been very popular and successful in communities where they are now,” he said. solde newbalance map Mental health courts divert mentally ill offenders away from the criminal justice system and into treatment programs, much as drug courts do for drug offenders. new balance femme pas cher Currently, three mental health courts operate in Greenville, Columbia and Charleston. Grants for their operation ran out years ago but they have continued to operate, officials say. new balance pas cher 2018 Two other courts have closed in recent years due to lack of funding. new balance 2018 “I think this is a huge first step for the Senate to acknowledge mental health reform in our state,” said Paton Blough, a Greenville mental health advocate who has spent a year pushing for the legislation.

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April 15th, 2015

Paton and Rehinge made the front page of the Greenville News today with a wonderful article written by Liv Osby and photos taken by Heidi Heilbrunn. The article covers Paton’s recent journeys up Table Rock in order to push for SC House support for S.426, the Mental Health Court Program Act. This article has great exposure for this bill, and will help bring the issue more into the light in the Upstate. You can learn more about how to support the Mental Health Court Program Act here. soldes newbalance chaussures

Read the full article on the Greenville News website

In 2006 after he was arrested on nonviolent charges, Blough went through mental health court. Though he dealt with a couple of issues since then, he said, he credits the experience with helping him come to grips with his illness. He got support from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the right medication and therapy, he said. And for the past five years, he’s been an advocate for people with mental illness. The daily climb up Table Rock and back, which he said takes roughly three hours, is the latest effort in that advocacy. Blough starts out early in the morning on the trek, which begins with a gentle slope along a creek flanked by large mossy rocks before becoming more rugged and elevated in some sections. “Parts of it are pretty easy,” said the stay-at-home father of six, “though it’s steep in some places and 2,000 vertical feel and a little over 3 miles.” Sometimes he’s joined by supporters or his children. He believes he can continue until the bill becomes law. “I recognize I can’t keep it up for a year or whatever,” he said. new balance pas cher “But I think I can keep going.” The bill doesn’t mandate the courts, but it creates a statewide program with the provision that solicitors who take state dollars for such courts must create them within six months. While it doesn’t include any funding, its sponsor Sen. acheter newbalance Vincent Sheheen has said he hopes that money will be found in the budget at some point to help. Blough says that although it comes with no funds, he considers it a leadership bill. “I can’t say there will be a mental health court in every circuit in the next 12 months, but I think this is significant,” he said. “If it works, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be expanding it in our state.”

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Judge Debora Faulkner of Greenville County Probate Court said mental health court is successful because it costs far less than imprisoning someone and it turns their lives around. Since it began, it has accepted 84 participants, she said, and 55 have graduated. There are now eight active participants. “It’s a way to not only be prudent with tax dollars, but to get people the help that they need and out of that revolving door,” she said. “Those individuals are no longer in the criminal justice system. They are productive members of society.” Mental health courts operate in Greenville, Charleston and Columbia. Greenville’s began with a grant in 2005, Faulkner said. But for years it’s been operating without any funding because officials believe so much in it. Probate pays the judge’s time, she said, and other services are provided by Greenville Mental Health and Piedmont Mental Health employees. soldes newbalance “It’s a wonderful program. new balance Homme pas cher It’s a savings for the taxpayer, it keeps the jail population down, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am to see the results,” she said. “They’re all trying so hard. I saw someone have their very first paycheck. And another graduate who has gone on and gotten a master’s in social work.” Under the system, the solicitor selects the participants, who must meet certain criteria, like being charged with nonviolent offenses such as public disorderly or property crimes and have no past convictions for violent crimes, Faulkner said. They must attend mental health court weekly along with seeing a case manager and medical professionals, she said. They are also subject to random drug testing and can be terminated if they are rearrested or otherwise violate terms of the program. And they’re linked to community resources so they can find other help they might need, like employment and housing, she said.

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May 13th, 2015

Tim Smith wrote a nice piece in the Greenville News this morning about the SC House passing bill S.426, the Mental Health Court Program Act. This is an exciting victory in South Carolina, and we hope to see many more in the coming months and years!

Read the full article in the Greenville News

The House gave key approval Tuesday to a bill to expand the state’s mental health courts. New Balance Baskets The 98-2 vote came after no debate. acheter newbalance After a final reading, the bill will head to Gov. new balance 2018 Nikki Haley. acheter newbalance Mental health courts divert mentally ill offenders away from the criminal justice system and into treatment programs, much as drug courts do for drug offenders. new balance sitemap Currently, three mental health courts operate in Greenville, Columbia and Charleston. Grants for their operation ran out years ago but they have continued to operate, officials say. soldes newbalance Two other courts have closed in recent years due to lack of funding. soldes newbalance chaussures “It’s nice to see both bodies working together for the greater good of our state,” said Paton Blough, a Greenville mental health advocate who proposed the bill last year [….] “Hopefully, this is the beginning of years of mental health reform to come.” Blough and other supporters for the bill, including Sen. Vincent Sheheen, a Camden Democrat who authored the bill, have argued the legislation would save lives and taxpayers’ dollars.

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March 13th, 2015

An article and video published yesterday by WYFF News Channel 4 discusses the Mental Health Court Program Act and SC’s need for it. The article features Paton Blough and Senator Larry Martin of Pickens discussing the necessity of the bill in the state. Bill S.426 (formerly titled S.209), the Mental Health Court Program Act, is a bill designed to treat mentally ill criminals, rather than incarcerate them for actions that are often outside their control. This bill has been a crucial bi-partisan effort by Paton Blough and a number of SC politicians like Senator Vincent Sheheen (D) and Senator Larry Martin (R). You can watch the video on the WYFF Channel 4 website.

You can help us out in fighting for the Mental Health Court Program Act as well!

You can help us to fight for the passing of this bill by contacting the SC Senate Judiciary Committee! By contacting the following senators, you can encourage them to support S.426, the Mental Health Court Program Act in the Senate Judiciary Committee. By showing these senators your support for this bill, you are telling South Carolina that we NEED mental health courts and mental health reform in the state. Following is a list of the SC senators currently sitting on the Senate Judiciary Committee along with their contact information. Now is the time to act for mental health reform! Not sure what to say when you contact these senators? You can use this example letter/speech to help yourself out.

2015 Senate Judiciary Committee

Larry A. Martin (Chairman) SRulesComm@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6610 Room 101 Gressette Bldg. newbalance pas cher Dist. 2 – Pickens Lee Bright LeeBright@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6008 Room 602 Gressette Bldg. Dist. No. 12 – Greenville & Spartanburg George E. “Chip” Campsen, III ChipCampsen@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6340 Room 305 Gressette Bldg. Dist. 43 – Berkeley, Charleston & Collecton Creighton B. Coleman CreightonColeman@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6132 Room 508 Gressette Bldg. Chaussures NEW BALANCE Dist.17-Chester, Fairfield & York Ronnie A. Sabb RonnieSabb@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6032 Room 504 Gressette Bldg. Dist.32-Berkeley, Florence, Georgetown, Horry & Williamsburg Thomas D. Chaussures New Balance “Tom” Corbin TomCorbin@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6100 Room 501 Gressette Bldg. Dist. 5 – Greenville & Spartanburg Chauncey K. Gregory GregGregory@scsenate.gov 803-212-6024 Room 606 Gressette Bldg. Dist. 16 – Lancaster & York Cos. Greg Hembree GregHembree@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6016 Room 604 Gressette Bldg. Dist. 28 – Dillon & Horry A. Shane Massey ShaneMassey@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6024 Room 606 Gressette Bldg. Dist. 25 – Aiken, Edgefield, Lexington, McCormick & Saluda Cos. Luke A. Rankin SethicsComm@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6410 Room 205 Gressette Bldg. Dist. 33 – Horry Katrina Frye Shealy KatrinaShealy@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6108 Room 502 Gressette Bldg. Dist. 23- Lexington Paul Thurmond PaulThurmond@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6172 Room 513 Gressette Bldg. Dist. 41 – Charleston & Dorchester Ross Turner RossTurner@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6148 Room 512 Gressette Bldg. Dist. 8 – Greenville Tom Young, Jr. TomYoung@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6124 Room 506 Gressette Bldg. Dist. 24 – Aiken Sean Bennett SeanBennett@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6116 Room 601 Gressette Bldg. Dist. 7 – Berkeley, Charleston & Dorchester C. Bradley Hutto BradHutto@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6140 Room 510 Gressette Bldg. Dist. 40 – Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell,Colleton, Hampton & Orangeburg Kevin L. Johnson KevinJohnson@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6048 Room 612 Gressette Bldg. Dist. 36 – Clarendon, Darlington, Florence & Sumter Gerald Malloy GeraldMalloy@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6172 Room 513 Gressette Bldg. Dist. 29 – Chesterfield, Darlington, Lee & Marlboro J. Thomas McElveen, III ThomasMcElveen@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6132 Room 508 Gressette Bldg. Dist. 35 – Kershaw, Lee, Richland & Sumter John L. Scott, Jr. JohnScott@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6124 Room 506 Gressette Bldg. acheter newbalance Dist. new balance sitemap 19 – Richland Karl B. Allen KarlAllen@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6040 Room 610 Gressette Bldg. Dist. 7 – Greenville Shane R. Martin ShaneMartin@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6100 Room 501 Gressette Bldg. Dist.13 – Greenville, Spartanburg & Union Marlon E. Kimpson marlonkimpson@scsenate.gov (803) 212-6056 Room 613 Gressette Bldg. Dist.

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May 12th, 2015

Exciting news today as the Mental Health Court Program Act has passed the SC House! Today, bill S.426 received a second reading in the SC House of Representatives, and will move on to a third reading before being presented to Governor Nikki Haley to be signed into law! The Mental Health Court Program Act will work towards all 46 counties in South Carolina having a mental health court program, which will help save the lives of mentally ill individuals who by providing a system that diverts mentally ill offenders to appropriate treatment programs instead of jails. new balance pas cher This is a huge step forward for mental health reform in our state. soldes newbalance Paton and Rehinge have been working hard towards getting this bill passed, and your efforts of contacting your local legislature politicians has been invaluable as well! We’re looking forward to this bill being signed into law soon! Quote from SC Representative Dan Hamilton

The SC House just passed S.426 which provides a system to divert mentally ill offenders to appropriate treatment rather than incarceration. Chaussures Homme New Balance Kudos to Paton Blough for his effective citizen-lobbyist effort to get this bill passed. new balance 2018 It now goes to the Governor.

Quote from SC Senator Vincent Sheheen

Our Mental Health Court Bill just passed the House of Representatives! This will help the mentally ill get the treatment they need while saving our costs of incarceration. New Balance Baskets Femme So thankful for all the bipartisan support.

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Here is Paton’s presentation at the Riley Institute last week. new balance pas cher He had the honor of speaking along side of others involved with criminal justice system in SC. newbalance 2018 Together they discussed experiences and possibilities for improving SC’s justice and prison system,

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Paton Blough delivered a wonderful speech about his life with mental illness, his recovery and his advocacy efforts at the Stepping Up initiative in Washington DC. Paton had the honor of speaking along with Representative Patrick Kennedy and Senator Al Franken. newbalance 2018 Rep Kennedy, the head of the Kennedy Forum–an organization working toward lasting change in the way mental health and addictions are treated in our healthcare system. acheter newbalance en ligne Following are some highlights from Paton’s speech   What is Stepping Up? Stepping Up is a national initiative designed to push counties nationwide to work on access to mental health treatment and alternatives to jail for people with mental illnesses. new balance pas cher 2018 NAMI is working with a powerful coalition of national organizations, including the Council of State Governments Justice Center, the National Association of Counties, the American Psychiatric Foundation and numerous law enforcement, mental health and substance abuse organizations. Chaussures NEW BALANCE The initiative will challenge county, state and local leaders to work together to find solutions that work for the local community. Counties will be asked to follow a step-by-step process to build partnerships, assess current practices and develop a plan to implement research-based programs and services. newbalance 2018 It will also support local leaders by providing resources and examples of effective reforms and connecting them with other communities that are successfully reducing the number of people with mental illness in jails.

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