Elizabeth Van Nostrand explains how the International Refugee Assistance Project's (IRAP) ground-level work with refugees enabled a rapid response to Trump's immigration ban, highlighting the importance of maintaining emergency response capacity. Longer summary

This guest post by Elizabeth VanNostrand discusses the importance of organizations like the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) in responding to crises such as Trump's immigration ban. The author explains how IRAP's day-to-day work with individual refugee cases positioned them to respond quickly and effectively when the ban was implemented. The post highlights the value of maintaining capacity for emergency response, even when it may seem inefficient during non-crisis periods. It also emphasizes the importance of partnerships between organizations like IRAP and larger, more established groups like the ACLU. The author concludes by encouraging donations to IRAP or similar small charities doing ground-level work. Shorter summary

Scott reviews a book arguing against deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill, agreeing with many of its claims but ultimately disagreeing with its conclusion. Longer summary

Scott reviews Clayton Cramer's book 'My Brother Ron', which argues against deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill. The book traces the history of mental health care in America, from colonial times through the rise of large institutions and their subsequent closure. While Scott agrees with many of Cramer's empirical claims about problems faced by deinstitutionalized mentally ill people, he ultimately disagrees with Cramer's conclusion that reinstitutionalization is needed. Scott argues for alternatives like involuntary outpatient commitment that preserve more freedom for the mentally ill while still providing treatment. Shorter summary