In the Matter of Edwin Potter: Mental Illness and Criminal Justice Reform

What is the book about? It is an autobiography about Edwin Potter (not his real name), a man with schizophrenia. He had no treatment, and, as a result, he killed somebody. This is the true story of his trial, his struggle, and his comeback. What is the take-away? The typical prison inmate does not have the skills necessary to succeed in accepted society. That is the problem. What do we do? We need to teach them: reading, writing, arithmetic, social skills, job skills, language skills. They need mentors, housing, help with their substance abuse, and a change in the laws that keep them from taking part in society. The mentally ill have a different set of problems that cannot be fixed by throwing them into prison. Schizophrenia, for example, is a neurological problem, a spectrum illness much like autism. They don’t throw people with autism into prison as medical treatment. Why those with schizophrenia?

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