The "Hope Not Jail" research project led by Crystal Dieleman (Occupational Therapy) and Jean Hughes (Nursing), in collaboration with the local mental health community, aims to understand how social determinants of health impact the criminalization of people with mental health problems. Together with a group of local filmmakers - who have their own experiences with the mental health system - the researchers have translated their project findings into the short film “Map of Me”.
The content of the film was drawn directly from the findings of the project - often including direct quotes from interview and focus group transcripts - and represents perspectives of individuals with mental health problems and criminal justice involvement, family members of people with such experiences, and service providers. The research team worked closely with the filmmakers to ensure that the film accurately represented what they had discovered from their interview subjects. This makes the film very relatable but it also means that you may find some scenes difficult to watch.
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