Letter from the CEO:

Tua aequitas aims to facilitate a new dynamic between the criminal justice and mental health systems wherein the mental health system is a sovereign entity not subject to an inequitable criminal justice system.  Tua-aequitas will generate equity and care through services to offer a fair chance at success to individuals who are living with mental health diagnoses who are involved in the criminal justice system. Purpose, the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists, is the core of all existence. Individuals are not able to consider purpose and instead must focus on meeting basic needs from their day of release.  Tua-aequitas will help individuals meet these basic needs to then move toward finding purpose, peace, and passion which, in turn, will offer an intrinsic motivation to not re-offend.

To achieve this mission, tua aequitas will adopt a multi-dimensional service model to provide support to consumers who are living with a mental health diagnosis and have criminal justice involvement. Services include: initial engagement while incarcerated, pick up and immediate placement at our assessment center upon release, connection to an appropriate level of housing following assessment, vocational/educational services, entitlements services, mental health and substance abuse treatment services, family services, leadership/peer training, life skills/coping skill building, medical services, and legal services. This will all be offered in a centralized location by staff that is caring, committed, and invested in individual’s success.

By providing these services, we afford individuals the opportunity to move past basic needs and participate in their community in a way that is meaningful, with a focus on purpose. This will, in turn, reduce rates of recidivism by increasing rates of treatment adherence, by lessening participation in criminal behavior, and by supporting positive participation in the community. This will have a measurable impact on the current interaction between the criminal justice system and mental health system, which currently creates barriers to re-entry and contributes to significant rates of recidivism. This pattern exacerbates the already present emotional and financial impacts on individuals, families, communities, and society as a whole. In addition, tua-aequitas will offer an extensive and unique staff care component, to ensure that our workers feel valued and allow them to continue to do the amazing work they do.

It is time we make a decision to challenge the status quo, to live with humanity. It is time we offer care and services as a solution versus incarceration. It is time we help people avoid the criminal justice system, thrive, and become what they are meant to be: Our future fathers, leaders, teachers, employees, and valued community members. Inadequate and fragmented care contributes to the cycling in and out of the justice system, and it is time to change this. Lastly, clinicians who feel undervalued and unsupported only serve to exacerbate the stresses of an already strained system. It is our duty to ensure that they are supported and provided with care that allows them to be content, thrive in their work, and feel fulfilled.

We are passionate in our mission and your support is an integral part of our success!

Sincerely,

Michelle Cregg

President/CEO