Nancy White

As I sit at my desk, the day before Thanksgiving, the start of the holiday season, I think of all the things in my life that I am most thankful for. Included in my thoughts is the fact that I am not incarcerated. Not that I have ever done anything to be incarcerated for, but after working in the criminal justice system for over 30 years, the fact that I can go home to my own life after work, is something that I am very thankful for.

It seems like when the “day goes wrong” in the criminal justice system, it really goes wrong. I have been spending a great deal of time thinking about just how to write this blog. Then I realized I had been thinking about it for a month, and it is just time to write.

I have blogged in the past, about Mental Health Court and the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program. I recently had the honor to meet and hear speak a “true champion” for the cause, The Honorable Mark A. Speiser, Judge in Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida.

I live in the Midwest (Missouri) and have been enduring over 100 degree weather now for too many days. Not only am I unmotivated, but all my outdoor plants have died. My yard has a few weeds and my grass lies dormant. Snow has never sounded so good. In the middle of this horribly hot summer I have had an experience that I will never forget. A mentally ill client, with legal problems herself, has become a victim of a horrendous crime. She opened the front door to her apartment in the middle of the night and was brutally beaten and raped.

Continuing education is important and the company that I work for Truman Medical Center, provides staff with many opportunities for continuing their education. Over the years I have appreciated the opportunity to attend the American Counseling Association’s annual conference where excellent educational opportunities exist. In my specialized area of work, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care has afforded me the opportunity to upgrade my knowledge in mental health and health care in corrections. I think that you will agree that this is quite a specialized area of interest.