Abstract
Dear editor,
A paper of ours was recently cited in an article published in Policy Politics & Nursing Practice. The citation for the article is Wofsy A, Smith KM. Racism and Redlining in the History of Psychiatric Policy and Practice in Atlanta: Implications for Nursing. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice. 2024;0(0). doi:10.1177/15271544241290707.
In this article, our work has been misrepresented. The citation states: “Additionally, African Americans with a mental illness are more likely to be incarcerated, rather than be offered diversion programs (Macdonald et al., 2023).”
This statement is incorrect for two reasons.
Firstly, our research is based in Australia, utilizing Australian samples of defendants. Thus the sample of the cited study did not include African American individuals. Secondly, our paper did not examine mental health diversion versus incarceration. Instead, my coauthors and I examined who was diverted into treatment on the grounds of mental illness and who was processed according to the law, which included a variety of penalties, and was not limited to imprisonment.
We found that Indigenous defendants, those living in more remote areas, who had appeared in court for previous offences or were not legally represented were all significantly less likely to be diverted than defendants without these characteristics. Additionally, defendants with a substance-induced psychotic disorder were less likely to be diverted than those with an affective psychosis or schizophrenia.
Sincerely,
Dr. Christel Macdonald
Christel Macdonald1 1National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales
Corresponding author: Christel Macdonald, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales
Authors Response
To: Editor-in-Chief, Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the concerns brought by Dr. Macdonald. The citation to Macdonald et al 2023 was made in error. The correct citation should be McDonald, D. and Dawson-Edwards, C. (2023) “Race, Gender, Class, and Criminal Justice: Examining Barriers to Justice” Carolina Academic Press, Durham NC, pages 216-217.
We apologize for this misunderstanding and any inconvenience it may have caused.
Best wishes
Avi Wofsy and Kylie Smith
Avi Wofsy PhD, RN. Kylie Smith, PhD, Associate Professor Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing Emory University, Atlanta, GA