1. United States
2. Wisc.
3. Letter

Please oppose the recent Presidential executive order "Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets." Rather than making our cities safer, the actions proposed in this order open a legal pathway to incarcerating anyone who can be described as having a "serious mental disorder." According to the National Institute of Mental Health, that could be as many as one in every six Americans. Incarceration or forced commitment to institutions has not been shown to reduce the number of unhoused, mentally ill, or addicted people, and the financial burden of enforcing the removal of these people has frequently been shown to be much higher than the cost of providing care for them. Especially in the current economy, most unhoused people are unfortunate, not criminal. Most mentally ill people can be as functional in society as anyone else when given treatment, but people won't seek treatment if a diagnosis could lead to their being committed against their will. Likewise, treatment programs for those with addictive disorders are often very successful, but they rely on addicts being able to safely ask for help without fear of being locked up. This executive order will directly harm many Americans. Please oppose it. Thank you.