It sometimes feels that the line between misinformation and fact has never been blurrier. Our federal government is recently back in the business of pedaling reckless and dangerous conspiracy theories that endanger the public and erode public trust . Unfortunately, even in New York, we are not immune to insidious fictions creeping into our legal system. One such example is “excited delirium,” a purportedly medical, but widely discredited, term frequently cited as a cause of death for people who die in police custody.

Excited delirium is a non-scientific term used primarily by police, coroners and emergency medical personnel to describe a state of extreme agitation and aggression. But this basic description – which fits many mental health crises – is supplemented with three compl

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