Following several high-profile crimes in the city, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she wanted to change state law to allow authorities to incarcerate mentally ill people in hospitals without their consent.
But it will be an uphill battle because the Democratic-led state legislature has previously opposed similar policy proposals.
What you need to know
- Gov. Kathy Hochul says she needs to change state law, making it easier to place a person in medical care without their consent.
- She also wants to strengthen the Kendra Act, which allows a court to impose psychiatric treatment on people suffering from mental illness.
- Last month, a woman died after being set on fire in a subway car. This week, a man was seriously injured after being shoved in front of a moving train, and in the Bronx, an MTA worker was stabbed.
On Friday, Hochul said enough was enough when it came to metro crime.
“We must ensure that those suffering from serious mental illnesses receive the care they need and we also protect innocent bystanders on our subways and on our streets,” Hochul said at a press conference on the Lower East Side .
Last month, a woman died after being set on fire in a subway car.
This week, a man was seriously injured after being pushed in front of a moving train, and in the Bronx, an MTA worker was stabbed.
“Mental health is not at the root of each of these crimes, I never thought it was – but in these cases, when the system has failed, when an individual experiencing an episode mental health is doing something that is so horrible,” she said. “That’s what we need to address, and the legislative language will give more guidance to doctors and hospitals.”
Now, Hochul says she must change state law to make it easier to place a person in medical care without their consent.
She also wants to strengthen the Kendra Act, which allows a court to impose psychiatric treatment on people suffering from mental illness.
Mayor Eric Adams supported Hochul in a statement.
“Several recent incidents have shown what happens when these issues are not addressed. As we have said repeatedly, we cannot wait for change. “That’s why, since the beginning of our administration, we have implemented almost every possible solution under city control without the passage of this law,” he said Friday.
But Hochul could find himself in a fight with the Democratic-controlled Legislature.
“This has been rejected by Parliament in the past. I sincerely hope that everyone in the Legislature will pay attention to what is happening in our city and our state,” said State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat from Westchester. “In the past, we have focused beyond any legislature. In terms of mental health and how to make sure people get the help they need. I’ll take a look at what she comes up with and we’ll work from there.
“I think there is a global recognition that we need to do more when it comes to mental health, particularly what’s happening on the subway. We have to do something,” said Bronx Democratic Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.
Mental health teams were sent to metros in 2022. Hochul demanded that hospitals free up more psychiatric hospital beds and that 1,000 National Guardsmen patrol the system.
But recent statistics show an increase in crime.
“I’m getting back into it. I hope I succeed, but I also say this: It’s not new for me to focus on mental health,” Hochul said.
Both proposals are expected to be approved by Parliament before the end of the legislative session scheduled for June.