Justice Center Publications
The Council of State Governments Justice Center, with support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), will select four law enforcement agencies from across the nation to participate in a project that will foster peer-to-peer learning and promote the sharing of expertise among law enforcement agencies working to improve responses to people with mental illnesses in their jurisdictions. This effort will focus on identifying agencies with a range of effective specialized policing responses to serve as resources for other law enforcement agencies nationwide.
Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: Tailoring Law Enforcement Initiatives to Jurisdictions explores the program design process, including detailed examples from several communities from across the country. It is meant to assist initiative leaders and agents of change who want to select or adapt program features from models that will be most effective in their communities. This project was coordinated by the Council of State Governments Justice Center with support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice. (download)
Local Program Example
Anchorage Crisis Intervention Team
Anchorage Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
JMHCP Grantee (2008) -- Nebraska Justice and Mental Health Initiative
Building on the work of their 2007 JMHCP planning grant, the Nebraska Justice-Mental Health System Collaboration Planning project, the Justice Mental Health Initiative plans to implement an improved vision of the state's mental health and criminal justice system interaction by providing mental health interventions across the phases of justice involvement. The steps involved in accomplishing this vision include: (1) expand training for law enforcement, (2) improve coordination between law enforcement and mental health crisis services, (3) implement standardized screening, (4) utilize jail diversion programs, and (5) increase the availability of housing and employment options for young adults (18-24 years old) involved in both systems.
Media Clips
6/12/10 — "A week of intense training ended Friday afternoon for 43 police officers, school security guards and others who are now the newest members of the city's Crisis Intervention Team."
6/8/10 — "Court administrators, police and mental-health officials gathered Monday in District Court to celebrate 13 police officers' completion of a program that trains them to teach their colleagues how to diffuse dealings with people with mental illnesses peacefully and positively."