This September, a new Texas law will expand police power to detain people in mental health crises. Under the law, if someone cannot recognize their own illness — a condition called anosognosia — officers can take them into custody for psychiatric evaluation.

Supporters say the law could save lives, pointing to tragic stories of untreated mental illness. But for too many Texans, especially those who have sought help for manageable conditions like panic attacks or depression, the reality is far more troubling: detention, confinement, and the loss of basic rights.

Mental illness is not a crime. Yet Texas continues to treat it like one. Instead of providing adequate community-based care, our state is turning to police as the first line of response. That doesn’t heal people — it stigmatizes them. Families who need care are left to navigate a system where compassion takes a back seat to handcuffs.

What Texans need isn’t more criminalization, but more investment in prevention and care. Social workers, trained crisis responders, and community-based mental health programs have proven to save lives while preserving dignity. Other states have expanded mobile crisis teams, peer support networks, and outpatient treatment with real results. Texas should follow that lead.

We cannot let this new law become an excuse to funnel more people into institutions or jails. If lawmakers truly want to prevent tragedy, they must fund treatment — not detention. Families deserve safe, accessible options for care before a crisis reaches the point of police intervention.

Texans are standing up to demand a better way. Mental health care should be rooted in healing, not fear. Our leaders must choose to invest in people, not punishment.

Sign this petition to urge Texas lawmakers to fund social workers and community-based mental health services instead of relying on police detentions. Our communities deserve care, not criminalization.

[Photo Credit Jim Weber]