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The Lead in conversation: how austerity jails the mentally ill
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The Lead in conversation: how austerity jails the mentally ill

CW: This audio recording contains descriptions of severe mental illness, suicide ideation, incarceration, and failings in mental health care that some listeners may find distressing.

When Scout Tzofiya-Bolton was arrested in the midst of a psychotic episode, she was convinced she was acting in a movie. The toy gun in her hand felt like a prop. The robbery, a scene. It wasn’t until she was alone in a police cell that the delusion began to crack.

Scout’s story is extraordinary, but not unusual. In 2023, she spent six months in prison a…

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