Elizabeth Kelley is a criminal defense lawyer with a nationwide practice specializing in representing people with mental illness and intellectual/developmental disabilities. She built her practice integrating both criminal defense and mental illness because she firmly believes those with mental disabilities do not belong in the criminal justice system, and jail and prison are not treatment. Elizabeth discusses the range of people with all different types of mental and intellectual disabilities she represents in her practice, the detrimental effects the criminal justice system has on people with mental disabilities, and the lack of programs and resources for these individuals.
IN THIS EPISODE:
- [01:38] How Elizabeth started in law and within her speciality.
- [10:09] The variety of ways Elizabeth is approached by different clients for cases.
- [13:16] The criminal justice system is the worst place for a person with mental disabilities. Proving to be destructive to that individual and their mental health.
- [15:39] Elizabeth's overall observations of the criminal justice system.
- [19:36] There is a nationwide shortage of appropriate resources, services and providers for offenders. In addition, many programs may have exclusions to which people can join.
- [23:29] Has Elizabeth seen facilities that have "locked down" or forcible options demonstrate success with somebody who has behavioral health issues?
- [29:14] One case that was especially influential in Elizabeth's career.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- As an attorney, Elizabeth serves a wide range of individuals with mental and intellectual disabilities, ranging from bipolar and schizophrenia to autism and fetal alcohol syndrome.
- The legal system is becoming more aware of the fact that people with mental disabilities should be diverted out of the system, and the current punishments to people with mental illnesses are inappropriate and, in some cases, destructive to that individual.
- In the cases that Elizabeth deals with, they often require a team of different experts, specialists and resources, which can often create another obstacle for the client and family in an already difficult situation.
- It's important for individuals with mental or intellectual disabilities to have representation that will work for them and their disability.
LINKS MENTIONED:
Elizabeth Kelley Website
https://www.elizabethkelleylaw.com/
https://twitter.com/MentalHealthEsq
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-kelley-14110430/
BIO:
I am a criminal defense lawyer with a nationwide practice focused on representing people with mental disabilities.
My family settled in the Palouse Country of Washington Territory in 1872. I was born and raised in Spokane and I returned to the Inland Northwest in 2012.
My experience includes:
- Co-chairing the Criminal Justice Advisory Panel of The Arc's National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability.
- Editing of Representing People with Mental Disabilities: A Practical Guide for Criminal Defense Lawyers (American Bar Association 2018) and Representing People with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Practical Guide for Criminal Defense Lawyers (American Bar Association 2020).
- Serving on the Council of the ABA's Criminal Justice Section as well as on the Editorial Board of the Criminal Justice Section Magazine.
- Serving on the ABA's Commission on Disability Rights.
- Serving as a Non-Governmental Observer on behalf of the ABA of the Military Commission Hearings at Guantanomo.
- Serving three terms on the board of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), chairing its Mental Health as well as Membership Committees, serving on the Problem-Solving Courts and Body Camera Task Forces, and becoming a Life Member.
- Traveling to Liberia in 2009 and 2014 as part of a delegation sponsored by the U.N. Commission o
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Burden
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.