Criminal Justice / Mental Health Consensus Project

Audio and Slides from Webinar Now Available: Juvenile Mental Health Screening and Assessment in Juvenile Justice: How to Do It by Dr. Thomas Grisso

The webinar, held on June 30th, described the purpose, process, and implementation of mental health screening for youth entering juvenile justice settings. The presentation included a description of behavioral health problems among youth and their prevalence among those entering juvenile justice programs, and explained the importance of mental health screening for juvenile justice programs.

Click here to read more.

For a list of recent features, please click here.

ANNOUNCEMENTS / EVENTS

New Study Documents High Prevalence of Serious Mental Illnesses among Nation's Jail Populations

Justice Center releases Law Enforcement Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: A Guide To Research-Informed Policy and Practice

National Center for Victims of Crime is holding its 2009 National Conference on June 22-24, in Washington, DC.

5/28, 6/11 and 6/29 Webinars: Know Your Rights: Anti-Discrimination Laws Protecting People with Alcohol and Drug Problems and Criminal Records

6/1/09 - Congressional Staff Briefing on Prevalence Study

Justice Center releases Improving Outcomes for People with Mental Illnesses under Community Corrections Supervision: A Guide to Research-Informed Policy and Practice.

Read more...

MEDIA COVERAGE

Dallas Morning News (TX) - Dallas County commissioners vote to cover court costs of indigent mentally ill patients
6/24/09 - "Dallas County commissioners voted Tuesday to pay the court costs of indigent mentally ill patients. The step was taken to resolve a conflict between a private psychiatric hospital and a probate judge who presides over the county's mental health court."

The Advocate (CT) - Police tune in to voices in heads of emotionally disturbed
6/18/09 - Nearly 40 police officers from Fairfield County departments attended "training on how to better defuse potentially violent situations with emotionally disturbed people."

Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA) - Seattle's Mental Health Court celebrates 10 years
6/17/09 - "Seattle's Municipal Mental Health Court celebrated its 10th anniversary Tuesday, marking a decade of getting offenders with mental illness into treatment instead of jail in an effort to prevent future crimes."

Read more...

JUSTICE AND MENTAL HEALTH COLLABORATION PROGRAM

The Council of State Governments Justice Center provides technical assistance to the Bureau of Justice Assistance Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program grantees, who are planning, implementing, or expanding collaborative programs that improve responses to people with mental illnesses involved with the criminal justice system.

Read more...

BJA NATIONAL EVENT

Coming soon...

Check here for information about the Bureau of Justice Assistance's invitational "Technical Assistance and Training Event," July 15-17, 2009 in Washington, DC.

MENTAL HEALTH COURTS

The Council of State Governments Justice Center has provided technical assistance to mental health courts across the country and now coordinates the Bureau of Justice Assistance's mental health court learning sites program.

Read more...

Consensus Project Press Room