Features
In this section, Justice Center staff post original content, including interviews with policymakers and program administrators, overviews of legislative activity across the country, and analyses of topical issues and policies.
Webinar Archive: Fiscal Year 2010 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program Applicant Webinar
This webinar provided an overview of the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program and the current FY2010 solicitation for potential applicants. Bureau of Justice Assistance staff discussed program eligibility, the required application materials, and other important information and resources.
Reminder: Using the Consensus Project’s Local Programs Database
Spotlight on JMHCP and Local Programs Database: Chatham-Savannah, GA
Starting this month, the Justice Center will also spotlight profiles from the Local Programs Database (LPD) that detail interesting collaborative criminal justice/mental health initiatives from around the country. This month the Justice Center spotlights the Chatham-Savannah Mental Health Court, a 2009 JMHCP expansion grantee, former 2006 planning grantee, and an active participant on the LPD.
Program Summary
The Chatham-Savannah Mental Health Court (CSMHC) began in September of 2007. The program targets adults who have a documented primary mental health diagnosis with or without a co-occurring substance abuse disorder and have been charged with a non-violent misdemeanor or felony. The program plans to expand its capacity by adding one case manager; participating in various training events; and incorporating other elements to the program such as drug screens and Sheriff's Department supervision.
Spotlight on JMHCP: Judiciary of Guam
Program Summary
Guam, a United States territory in the Western Pacific, received a JMHCP planning and implementation grant in 2008 to develop a mental health court. The Judiciary of Guam and the Guam Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse (DMHSA) collaborated in a planning process that led to the opening of the Guam Mental Health Court (Guam MHC) in May 2009. The Guam MHC targets adult offenders with serious mental illnesses or developmental disabilities who are charged with nonviolent crimes and express interest in treatment. The court provides much-needed structure for, and coordination of, mental health and substance use services in a jurisdiction with limited health care resources.
Webinar Archive: Sharing Information to Improve Outcomes and Protect Privacy in the Juvenile Justice System
New Approaches to Veterans Involved in the Criminal Justice System
Spotlight on JMHCP: Deschutes County, Oregon
Program Summary
The Deschutes County Mental Health Court in central Oregon received an expansion grant to increase access to services for its target population: moderate- to high-risk adults who have pled guilty to a misdemeanor or felony crime, have a diagnosed mental illness or dual diagnosis of mental illness and substance abuse, and demonstrate a willingness to participate in the program as an alternative to incarceration in the county’s jail facility.
The expansion builds on a program in place since 2002 through a partnership among the Deschutes County Mental Health Department, the District Attorney’s Office, the Circuit Court, and the Alternatives to Incarceration Committee in Deschutes County. Under the expansion grant, the program, which serves a mostly rural community, has grown to include twenty-five participants at a given time–double its initial size. The mental health court has also increased awareness and understanding about mental health issues in the criminal justice system through educational programs aimed at attorneys and local law enforcement.
Webinar Archive: Individuals with Mental Illnesses in the Criminal Justice System: Addressing Both Criminogenic Risks and Mental Health Needs
Spotlight on JMHCP: San Francisco
Program Summary
San Francisco AIIM (Assess, Identify Needs, Integrate Information, and Match to Services) Higher is a partnership between the San Francisco Juvenile Probation Department and the Department of Public Health’s Child, Youth and Family System of Care. SF AIIM Higher is a program that offers data-driven assessment, planning, and linkage services that engage juvenile justice-involved youth and their families in targeted and effective community-based interventions.
Webinar Archive: Ensuring Access to Medicaid for Individuals with Mental Illnesses Reentering Their Communities from Prison: A Program Model from Oklahoma
The webinar, held on October 29th, described an innovative program to ensure that eligible individuals have access to Medicaid on their release date or soon after, including evaluation data documenting the program's effects. Bob Mann, from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, detailed components of the program, which involved extensive collaboration among the state's corrections, mental health, and Medicaid agencies. Dr. Henry Ireys, of Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., presented results of an evaluation of the impact of the program on Medicaid enrollment, service use, and other outcomes. Seth Prins, from the Council of State Governments Justice Center, highlighted the Justice Center’s federal benefits tools. Finally, there was a question and answer session with the presenters.
Click here to download or listen to the webinar.
Click here to download the slides
To access the Keys to Federal Benefits Access, click here.
To access the Federal Benefits Chart, click here.
New Guide for Policymakers and Practitioners Detailing the Available Research on the Design, Function, and Efficacy of Mental Health Courts
Spotlight on JMHCP: State of New Jersey
Each month the Justice Center spotlights collaborative criminal justice/mental health initiatives that have received funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance's Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP). Center staff asks the practitioners in these programs to discuss some successes and challenges they have encountered in the planning and implementation process. This month's profile is from the state of New Jersey Department of Corrections, a 2008 JMHCP Implementation and Expansion Grantee.
Smart Responses in Tough Times: Materials from the Justice Center and BJA 2009 Technical Assistance and Training Event.
The Justice Center, in conjunction with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), U.S. Department of Justice, hosted a national technical assistance and training event on July 15-17, 2009 in Washington, DC. Speakers at this event provided training to nearly 500 representatives from state and local governments and community-based programs who are working to improve how the justice system addresses adults and juveniles with mental illnesses. Smart Responses in Tough Times: Achieving Better Outcomes for People with Mental Illnesses Involved in the Criminal Justice System was the largest training forum ever organized by BJA on this topic.