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Some PA Lawmakers Call for Reforms After Investigation into Mistreatment of People with Mental Illness in Jails

Senator Jay Costa speaks with the press during an Aug. 12 press conference in Philadelphia.
Commonwealth Media Services
/
PAcast
Senator Jay Costa speaks with the press during an Aug. 12 press conference in Philadelphia.

Some state lawmakers are calling for reforms days after a WITF investigation showing the widespread mistreatment of people with serious mental illness in county jails. WITF’s Brett Sholtis has the details.

(Original air-date: 10/21/22)

Brett Sholtis is a health reporter for WITF/Transforming Health. Sholtis is the 2021-2022 Reveal Benjamin von Sternenfels Rosenthal Grantee for Mental Health Investigative Journalism with the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism. His award-winning work on problem areas in mental health policy and policing helped to get a woman moved from a county jail to a psychiatric facility. Sholtis is a University of Pittsburgh graduate and a Pennsylvania Army National Guard Kosovo campaign veteran.