To help prevent future tragic incidents, the Senate and
Assembly have passed legislation (S.6726) sponsored by Senator Catharine Young
(R,C,I- 57th District) that would strengthen Kendra’s Law and extend its
provisions from June 30, 2017 to June 30, 2022.
“By extending Kendra’s Law five more years, people with
profound mental illness will get the court-ordered, community based treatment
they need to prevent violence, suicide, and incarcerations,” said Senator
Young. “It will protect the public while
vastly improving the quality of life for those grappling with severe mental
illness.”
Kendra’s Law was originally implemented in 1999, and allows
the courts to issue assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) orders for individuals
who will not voluntarily seek help for their illness, but are a safety threat
to themselves or the public. The law is designed to prevent serious harm to the
mentally ill person or others, but the current system is set to expire on June
30, 2017, noted Senator Young.
The law is named in honor of Kendra Webdale, who grew up in
the Village of Fredonia. On January 3, 1999, a man with a long history of
schizophrenia stepped onto the 23rd Street subway station platform in New York
City and abruptly pushed Kendra, 32, a journalist and photographer, into the
path of an oncoming 400-ton N train.
Witnesses would later testify that Kendra’s attacker, 29-year-old Andrew
Goldstein, did not flee the scene. Instead, he stopped just a few feet from the
subway exit, stating, “I’m crazy. I’m psychotic. Take me to the hospital.”
“I am still fighting to make Kendra’s Law completely
permanent,” said Senator Young. “The
Senate has passed a bill I sponsor (S.516) for several years now that would do
just that, but the Assembly has yet to release it from committee. But this is a victory for patients, their
families and the public, and I am grateful that we will have this measure on
the books another five years if the Governor signs it into law.”
