The Justice Center's activities around the issue of advocacy reflect a shared effort among NAMI (the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill), the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), and the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. Click the link above to learn more about this issue.

The Reentry Policy Council, coordinated by the Justice Center, oversees a project to provide state and local government officials with support and resources to develop policies and programs that connect people who are released from prison and jail promptly with SSI/SSDI and Medicaid when they are eligible for these benefits. Frequently, individuals use these benefits to support mental health treatment.

Youth with mental health needs are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system, and face numerous challenges related to education, housing, and transition planning from detention facilities. Click the link above to learn more about this issue and Justice Center technical assistance collaboration with the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice.

The Reentry Policy Council, coordinated by the Justice Center, oversees a project focused on many different aspects of housing, including project or unit administration, finance, homelessness, community development, and special issues that may relate to supportive housing for individuals with mental illnesses.

The term "jail diversion" is commonly used to refer to programs that connect individuals with serious mental illnesses (and often co-occurring substance use disorders) who have come in contact with the criminal justice system to community-based treatment and support services. Individuals can be "diverted" - either from arrest or a longer-term period of incarceration. Click the link above to learn more about differing perceptions of diversion, and how the term is used on this site.