On the recordJune 15, 2015
I would like to thank the gentlewoman from Houston, who always brings clarity to these issues and is a great contributor to the conscience of this Congress. Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman brings up a lot of good points in reference to incarceration and speaking about the young 16-year-old boy who spent that much time in solitary confinement and comes out and ends up committing suicide. What we have found in this country, as they have broken down the mental health institutions over the years, that what we are doing in this country is warehousing people who have mental health issues in prisons, and it is a way to warehouse and get the problem out of the way so we don't see it, but a lot of people who are in prison these days have mental health issues and should be dealt with from that perspective as opposed to incarceration. It is my honor and privilege to ask my colleague from New Jersey, the Honorable Bonnie Watson Coleman, who is known in New Jersey for her work around criminal justice in the State legislature and has joined us this year in the 114th Congress, for her remarks with respect to tonight's topic.
