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william t. rossiter award

This year's recipient is

Terry Kupers, MD, MSP
 
Dr. Terry Kupers is a highly respected faculty member at the Wright Institute in Berkeley whose interest and passion in forensic psychiatry has encouraged many graduate students to enter the field of forensic mental health. His respect for the mentally ill individual has helped to improve their living conditions in jails and prisons all across the country.

Dr. Kupers' work as an expert in forensic psychiatry has included many large class action litigations concerning the quality of mental health services in jails and prisons and the conditions of mentally ill offenders who are housed in these institutions. His testimony in over 30 class action lawsuits, interviewing thousands of prisoners and compassionate oversight has brought about many changes in the care received by mentally ill individuals in the criminal justice systems throughout the United States.

Dr. Kupers has written extensively, suggesting guidelines for a prison system that will provide rehabilitation and not the warehousing of these individuals. One of Dr. Kupers' books, Prison Madness, has helped to educate many as to how prisons can abuse and worsen conditions of those with psychiatric disorders.

Dr. Kupers has a long history of providing community psychiatry. He continues to maintain a private practice and to consult with various mental health programs. During the second round of the State's Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction Grants, Dr. Kupers took time out of his busy schedule and was a consultant to San Francisco's Connections MIOCRG program.

Dr. Kupers has shaped the lives of students and professionals. He has passionately worked to correct institutions that have done harm to people and to make them more humane. He has touched the lives of thousands of mentally ill people who have been locked away in prisons and he won't let us forget about them or the conditions that they live in.