Colorado operates two mental health facilities that provide outpatient care for youth with mental illness who have interacted with the criminal justice system. In its third year, the pilot program, based on an $80,000 a year appropriation from Colorado House Bill 1034, has an urban facility in Denver and a rural facility in Sterling.

The program is a collaborative effort between the state's mental health services, court system, social services, law enforcement, youth services, and the school system. To date, 7 percent of the program's participants have re-offended, versus an average 10 percent recidivism rate among teens who work with youth services overall.

Participants are between the ages of 12 and 17. Assigned by court order, young men and women are eligible if they have been in the criminal justice system and are diagnosed with a mental illness, including bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, or attention-deficit disorder. More than 60% of the 56 participants at the Sterling facility have co-occuring substance abuse disorders. Those who were convicted of violent offenses are not eligible.

Services include one-on-one and group counseling, focus groups, life-skills education, and a structured after school environment for recreation and study. Participants attend the facility 4 times a week through the first 5 months, and 2 or 3 times a week afterwards. Individuals are typically enrolled from 6 to 12 months.

The program was featured in a local newspaper and Join Together Online. For more information, see the Join Together Online article.