Bradley County Judge’s Facebook Post Sparks National Conversation on Mental Health and Criminal Justice
A Bradley County, Tennessee criminal judge’s recent Facebook post about a man who frequently appeared in his courtroom and was later found dead has gone viral, igniting a national discussion about the intersection of mental health and the criminal justice system.
Judge Clay Collins shared the story of Chase Scoggins, who he says had been involved with the criminal justice system since before he was 18 and appeared in his court more than 30 times for offenses including trespassing, theft, and drug possession. Scoggins was found deceased and alone in the woods near a Target store in Bradley County, and the cause of death is currently under investigation by the Bradley County Medical Examiner’s Office.
“Chase was a nice young man who suffered with some mental health issues,” Collins wrote in the post, which has been shared over 100,000 times. He noted Scoggins often cycled in and out of rehabilitation programs without lasting improvement, and argued that “no amount of jail or prison can deter a mentally unstable person from acting mentally unstable.” Collins further stated, “We just pushed these people out to the streets and into prisons and jails,” drawing a connection to the closure of mental asylums in the 1970s and 80s. This situation highlights a growing crisis in mental healthcare access and its impact on the judicial system, as detailed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Collins emphasized the need for societal change, stating, “It’s really not okay as a society to let people just wander in the street talking to themself and just look the other way and hope…hope when they die, we don’t have to see it or deal with it, because that’s what’s happening right now.” He believes there are “thousands upon thousands” of individuals like Scoggins across the nation who require support beyond incarceration; you can learn more about mental health resources here.
Officials are awaiting the results of the medical examiner’s investigation to determine the official cause of Scoggins’ death and will release further information as it becomes available.
