The Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Act was passed in 1986. It established the authority, funding, and other resources for the protection and advocacy systems to function in each state. Each state has a non-profit law firm that fall under this act. Most are called "Disability Rights (STATE)." As it states in the name, the act is to help people with mental illnesses and it grants the authority to enter facilities, investigate, sue, well essentially what needs to be done to protect people that have been victimized.
Funding is given to each P&A ranging from 450K to tens of millions of dollars and it is all based on the population of the state. One huge issue is that there isn't enough funding to cover all the work that needs to be done. In Idaho we get over 1,000 legitimate civil rights complaints a year but only have the funding to address about 350 of those complaints. The money is best spent on cases that can force true systemic change in both the public and private sector. This is the same for other states and it leaves a lot of people frustrated with nowhere else to turn. We need to increase funding, all of the money we spend on so much stupid shit for this country and the world, but we aren't taking care of our own, that needs to change. If this got funded properly, and the facilities, schools, other players improve their behavior, we could actually fix a major issue with mental health.
Another thing this act did was establish PAIMI Advisory Councils (PACs). Every state is required to have a council and they are to be composed of mental health professionals, lawyers, community members with knowledge, family members of people with a mental illness, or people with a mental illness. By law, 60% of the council must have a mental illness. This is another issue. Some states purposely pack these councils with people who do the bare minimum or less, won't rock the boat, another way to look at it is won't create more work and headaches for the already overworked and underpaid staff. Other states have a hard time filling these councils, and right now as we speak there is a legitimate movement of younger people who are starting to rise to the level of advocacy needed to be an effect PAC member.
I feel we need to revamp the act, I feel one change is either SAMSHA does it, or the P&A's are required to do it, but they need to advertise for both PAC members and Board of Directors. During my brief stint with Disability Right's Idaho, I saw no one across the country advertises for these things. People don't learn about their rights until its too late, and well, we are reacting rather than being a pro-active society. There is a ton of money spent on this program and I feel the results are very underwhelming. I think advertising rights, for PAC members, and for Directors would help with the public a lot. It would create awareness and draw the right people needed to fight for Civil Rights rather than place holders.
If you want to serve on one, find your local P&A and apply! America needs people who want to get involved and will do more than the bare minimum. That mindset is part of what got America into this mental health crisis. I know it doesn't sound all that glamorous but the work needs to be done civil rights are worth fighting for, mental health is worth fighting for, and this is where the two worlds meet. The people that do this work are not in it for the money, they can make more money in the private sector.
Thank you,
Mikey