About the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program
What is the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program?
The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) is a grant program designed to increase public safety by facilitating collaboration among the criminal justice, juvenile justice, mental health treatment, and substance abuse systems and to improve access to effective treatment for people with mental illnesses involved with the criminal justice system. The JMHCP was authorized by the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act and is administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Through funds appropriated in FY 2006, the Bureau of Justice Assistance awarded 27 grants in 19 states and the District of Columbia under the JMHCP. A second round of grantees awarded in 2007 span 26 communities in 16 states. The grantees received funding to plan, plan and implement, or implement and expand collaborations to improve responses to people with mental illnesses involved in the criminal justice system.
Three types of grants were awarded: planning grants with a maximum award of $50,000 for 12 months, planning and implementation grants with a maximum award of $250,000 for 30 months, and implementation and expansion grants with a maximum award of $200,000 for 24 months. All grants required a joint application from a mental health agency and unit of government responsible for criminal and/or juvenile justice activities.
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What is the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act?
The Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA) of 2004 (Public Law 108-414) was passed unanimously by the U.S. House and Senate and signed into law by President Bush on October 30, 2004. It authorized the appropriation of $50 million per year for FY 2004 and FY 2005 and such sums as may be necessary for 2006-2009. For more information on MIOTCRA, please
click here.
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Who administers the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program?
The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program is administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), a component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. BJA provides leadership, funding, training, and technical assistance to states, local governments, and other justice and prevention agencies in order to reduce crime, violence, and drug abuse, and improve the functioning of the criminal justice system. BJA previously administered the Mental Health Courts Grant Program (MHCP), which funded initiatives focused on continued judicial supervision and coordinated delivery of health and social support services. To learn more about the MHCP
click here, and to learn more about BJA please
click here.
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Who are the 2006 and 2007 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program grantees?
Download a snapshot (pdf) of the 2006 JMHCP grantees.
Download a snapshot (pdf) of the 2007 JMCHP grantees.
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Who provides technical assistance to the grantees?
The Council of State Governments Justice Center coordinates the Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project, a national effort to help local, state, and federal policymakers and criminal justice and mental health professionals improve the response to people with mental illnesses involved in the criminal justice system. Through the Consensus Project, the Justice Center works closely with BJA on a number of criminal justice/mental health issues. The Justice Center served as the technical assistance provider for BJA's Mental Health Courts Program and will provide technical assistance to the current Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program grantees. For more information on the Consensus Project, please
click here, and to learn more about other Justice Center initiatives,
click here. BJA has also contracted with the National Association of Counties (NACo) to work on criminal justice / mental health issues. For more information about NACo's work in this area,
click here.
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