Defund the police, mental health benefits

I don't feel comfortable telling my whole story but, the basics; I was arrested multiple times during my first manic/mixed episode, beaten, about died in jail, and now have a nice record. My defense attorney didn't even bring up that a forensic psychiatrist came to a conclusion that I was Bipolar and going through an episode. That conclusion has since been confirmed with a full diagnosis.

Fast forward 3 years, on meds, work for a fortune 500 and doing really well. Unfortunately, I never would have dealt with any trouble without my Bipolar disorder. I hope that these debates can help people suffering from mental illnesses to get help instead of ending up in jail. Small towns like the one I was living in at the time, don't have the resources or training to understand mental health and how to deal with it.

/r/bipolar Thread Link - i.redd.it