Just a short time back, COVID-19 aside, it was graduation time for all – grammar schools, high schools, colleges, and universities, and more. It was also graduation time for those of the College Initiative program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, specifically, the Institute of Justice and Opportunity. The CI program supports formerly incarcerated and court-involved men and women in enrolling and succeeding in college. This year 24 men and women completed in total 8 associate degrees, 12 bachelor’s degrees, and 5 master’s degrees from a range of CUNY schools and private colleges.
I give them credit. It is not just course material that is difficult. It is also the prejudices that exist in society against the mentally ill and those system-involved. I speak from experience.
I am going to tell you a story. This part of the story can be found in chapter 58: “The Struggle Begins” of my book In the Matter of Edwin Potter: Mental Illness and Criminal Justice Reform.
Edwin Potter was a man with schizophrenia that got him into serious trouble with the law. Now he had been reporting to a local Clinic for Mental Health for six years since his release from the hospital. His social worker pulled some strings to have two psychologists from the Clinic interview him and recommend to the Court that his case be dismissed. Edwin did very well at his interviews, and a report was submitted to the Court with the desired request. Three days later without an interview, a second report was submitted to the judge telling frightful tales about Edwin.
In the courtroom, Edwin’s attorney, Daniel Aaron, pursued his questioning about the two reports:
“Tell me, doctor,” began Daniel Aaron, “how many times did you personally examine Mr. Potter?”
“Once.”
“And yet you wrote two reports.”
There was no response from the Doctor.
“Did you write two reports, Doctor?”
“Yes! I did!”
“And did you find in your examination, Doctor, that Mr. Potter just recently received his Master’s degree in Engineering?”
“He only thinks he received his master’s degree!”
“I assure you, Doctor, that he received it. I have copies of the reports from the University.”
Although Daniel Aaron made his arguments about bias and discrimination, the judge did not dismiss the case.
So, prejudices existed against Edwin even from professionals who should know better. The doctor had tried to portray Edwin as some typical “mental patient” living with the delusion that he had an advanced degree. And the judge, too, held his own prejudices in not dismissing the case. And yet, Edwin prevailed.
David Geiger is a licensed electrical engineer who spent 7 years in psychiatric hospitals and over 40 years since 1979 in the courts as a result of his schizophrenia.