Geneva church to show 'This is Crazy: Criminalizing Mental Illness'

At 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, 102 S. Second St., will show "This is Crazy: Criminalizing Mental Illness."

Today, more than 2.4 million Americans are incarcerated in prisons and jails. 1.26 million of those inmates, more than half of the entire prison population in the United States, suffer from some form of mental illness.

Consisting of three short documentaries, "This Is Crazy: Criminalizing Mental Illness" highlights the stories of individuals with mental illnesses who have found themselves in a dysfunctional prison system rather than getting proper care. The incarceration of those with a mental illness causes great harm to the individual and perpetuates a cycle that is damaging to the community, all while spending taxpayer money.

Through personal interviews with community leaders, city officials and formerly incarcerated individuals with a mental illness, this series seeks to bring attention to the injustice of criminalizing mental health and offers alternative community solutions.

Join them at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, for the movie, followed by a discussion of the jail diversion project in Kane County sponsored by the Fox River Valley Initiative.

The film is part of the free monthly fourth-Friday Film programs that are sponsored by the Social Justice Team of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva. The public is encouraged to register at uusg.org/friday-flicks/ to receive email notices of future programs.

The Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, established in 1842 and the oldest church in Geneva, is a diverse, welcoming community that endeavors to make its covenant a living reality. It provides religious education and opportunities for spiritual growth. They encourage individual and mutual responsibility to work together to be a liberal religious voice in the community and a force for compassionate social justice. For more information, visit uusg.org.