Petition to require that all police officers go through racial bias training

Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform, Inc. (www.pfcjreform.org) is calling for the federal government to require Implicit Racial Bias Training for police departments nationwide as a condition of eligibility for federal grant funding.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION.  We need 100,000 signatures in the next 30 days at which time the White House will respond to our request, which means this petition must go viral.  Please help us make that happen.

At least 9 people were killed last week as a result of our policing crisis. CDC data shows that Native Americans, Blacks, and Latinos are killed during police interactions at higher rates than Whites. Perceived criminality and implicit racial bias are significant drivers of this problem.

Research shows that police who are made aware of their implicit biases are motivated and able to implement unbiased policing behavior.

The federal government should immediately require all police departments to implement implicit racial bias training for their officers.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION.

Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and Dallas Police Killings: PfCJR Call to Action. Open Conference Call Monday, July 11, 2016 at 9:00PM EST

PfCJR OPEN CONFERENCE CALL MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016 AT 9:00PM EST

  In the last four days, this country has watched a devastating series of tragedies unfold.  We watched police shoot Alton Sterling at point blank range while pinned to the ground.  We watched Philando Castile die after being shot four times by a police officer in front of his fiancée and daughter.  We watched Dallas police officers massacred even as they seeked to protect citizens at a peaceful protest.   All of these have served to underscore the urgency of acting NOW to begin combatting the forces that are driving these events. pfcjr call invite Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform invites you to join us on an open conference call this Monday, July 11, 2016 at 9:00pm EST.  You do not need to be a physician to join either the call or the organization.  We recognize that we need the unified voices of all allies if we are to effect meaningful, lasting change.  Click the graphic above for more details about the call.  If you haven’t already, please join us at www.pfcjreform.org/join so we can keep you informed of updates.   Please spread the message far and wide.  We need as many voices as possible.

Massachusetts Reviewing Placement Of Mentally Ill In Prison System

Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform CORE ISSUE:  Decriminalization of mental health and addictive disorders.

CBS Boston is reporting attempts at reforming the state criminal justice system.  An excerpt from the article is below:

“In any other state, most or all of the populations at Bridgewater State Hospital would be cared for by the Department of Mental Health,” she said. “Any step to undo the damage done to people by asking our state prison system to care for the sickest people in the commonwealth who are struggling with mental illness or substance abuse disorders is a wonderful and long overdue reform.”

Click HERE to read the entire article.

PfCJR seeks to advocate for the elimination of detrimental health consequences that result from interactions with the criminal justice system.  Click here to JOIN US.

Study finds gender disparities for inmates with HIV

Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform CORE ISSUE:  Provision of adequate access to physical and psychiatric health care for current inmates. In the largest study of inmates with HIV receiving antiretroviral therapy, Yale researchers uncovered significant differences in HIV treatment outcomes for men and women in the justice system. Their findings point to the need for gender-specific HIV prevention strategies for incarcerated individuals.  Click HERE to read the full article. Study available at: “Sex-Related Disparities in Criminal Justice and HIV Treatment Outcomes: A Retrospective Cohort Study of HIV-Infected Inmates.” American Journal of Public Health. e-View Ahead of Print.

Human Rights Watch Report

Human Rights PfCJR CORE ISSUE:  Provision of adequate access to physical and psychiatric health care for current inmates. Human Rights Watch has issued a 127-page investigative report that describes the use of excessive force by the criminal justice system in America. The report, “Callous and Cruel: Use of Force Against Inmates With Mental Disabilities in US Jails and Prisons,” charges that, “Jails and prisons staff throughout the United States have used unnecessary, excessive and even malicious force against prisoners with mental disabilities.”

Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform Official Launch

On May 11, 2015, neurosurgeon Dr. Edjah Nduom, officially launched Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform. Using Facebook as a the main vehicle, he and his co-founder, Dr. Nzinga Harrison, a highly-respected psychiatrist invited physician colleagues and non-physician allies to join the organization which was formed to provide a collective voice through which physicians can advocate to eliminate the damaging health consequences that can result from interactions with the criminal justice system. Below is a copy of the inaugural Facebook post.

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am very proud to announce the official launch of an organization that I have founded, together with a small team of like-minded physicians – Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform.

You all may have noticed the difference in my Facebook activity over the last several months. Several recent tragic events involving the deaths of unarmed men at the hands of the police have highlighted longstanding concerns regarding how the police interact with certain at-risk communities. These events have captured my attention, along with the attention of the media and concerned people worldwide.

While it may be tempting to feel gratified that these events have received publicity and leave it at that, I have spent the last several months feeling that we all need to spend more time addressing the factors that are truly at the root of many of the issues we see today.

In my own research, this led me to Criminal Justice Reform as a major root cause, time and time again. As a physician, the next question became – is there a specific role for physicians to make a significant impact on this issue? I quickly decided that the answer was, “Yes, but how?” I started by looking for an organization for physicians interested in these issues, and I could not find anything that spoke to the concerns that I have with the current criminal justice system.

About four months ago, I reached out to Nzinga Harrison, a leading psychiatrist in Atlanta, GA with the idea of founding an organization for physicians to address these issues. Instead of telling me that I was insane, she was excited, and we quickly reached out to others, who all expressed their enthusiasm and lent their expertise to the cause.

Over the last four months, I have spent hours of my own free time studying, speaking with colleagues, reading articles and searching for resources on this topic. After numerous brainstorming sessions, conference calls and emails back and forth, we have created the language for this organization that we feel truly represents the best way forward for physicians to have a real impact on creating lasting reform in the criminal justice system that can help our most vulnerable patients.

Physicians can no longer stand on the sidelines while our patients suffer due to flaws in the criminal justice system. The time is now to make our voices heard.

Please join us on Facebook at facebook.com/pfcjr and on Twitter: @PfCJReform.

Our Indiegogo page, to raise funds to establish our organization as a 501c3 organization and create a permanent website is live at: http://igg.me/at/pfcjr

We look forward to working with you soon!

Edjah

If you are interested in joining or supporting Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform (PfCJR), you can: