On April 20, 2007, the Council of State Governments Justice Center announced the availability of detailed, web-based profiles for approximately 150 mental health courts and 100 specialized police-based responses to people with mental illnesses. The last survey of mental health courts, conducted in 2005, counted approximately 125 mental health courts. The inventory of police-based responses to people with mental illness is the first of its kind.

The program profiles are part of the Criminal Justice/Mental Health Information Network (InfoNet), a free web-based database that inventories collaborative criminal justice/mental health programs across the country. The profiles are drawn from information obtained through comprehensive surveys, developed with assistance from the National GAINS Center, NAMI, and the Police Executive Research Forum.

"The expansion of mental health courts, crisis intervention teams, and other law enforcement responses to individuals with mental illness is an exciting development," remarked Domingo S. Herraiz, Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), U.S. Department of Justice, which administers the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program, providing funding and technical assistance to nearly 40 mental health courts in recent years. "Just 10 years ago, there were only four known mental health courts. One of the most important ways BJA assists communities is by designing and administering these new grant programs that encourage the field to talk toand learn fromeach other."

The InfoNet also catalogs news articles and research written about criminal justice/mental health issues. Profiles of state legislation, advocacy efforts, and statewide efforts to coordinate comprehensive responses to people with mental illness involved in the justice system are under development. Surveys of jail and prison re-entry programs and efforts that focus on probation and parole initiatives will also be developed.

Morris Thigpen, director of the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), U.S. Department of Justice, added, "Reversing high rates of recidivism among people with mental illnesses released from jails and prisons requires a comprehensive strategy that focuses on more than what happens while someone is incarcerated, but what happens from arrest through a person's transition to the community. Were excited about the InfoNet because it profiles programs across the criminal justice continuum."

The InfoNet is funded through an extraordinary public/private partnership, which includes BJA and NIC; the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

"The InfoNet shows that community-based innovation continues to lead the way in helping people with mental illness involved in the justice system attain and sustain recovery," said SAMHSA Administrator Terry Cline. "The InfoNet, together with SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices, provides real life examples of strategies that work to keep people in their community as contributing members."

The InfoNet is accessible through the Criminal Justice / Mental Health Consensus Project website (coordinated by the Justice Center), and is also available directly at http://cjmh-infonet.org. If you do not see your mental health court or specialized police-based program listed in the InfoNet, please click here to complete a survey. For more information about the InfoNet project, the issues, and to learn how to use the InfoNet, visit http://cjmh-infonet.org/about.

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On March 27, 2007, the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security held a hearing on improving responses to people with mental illnesses who are involved in the criminal justice system. Witnesses at the hearing included the following:

• Hon. Steven Leifman, Judge, Criminal Division of Miami-Dade County Court, Florida's 11th Judicial Circuit, Miami, FL;
• Phillip Perry, consumer of mental health services and current participant in the Bonneville Mental Health Court, Idaho Supreme Court, Boise, ID;
• David G. Gutierrez, Sheriff, Lubbock, TX;
• Richard Wall, Lieutenant, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles, CA; and
• Leon Evans, Executive Director, Jail Diversion Program, San Antonio, TX.

Witnesses testify before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security

"The repeated arrest and incarceration of low-level, nonviolent offenders whose mental health needs are not adequately addressed perpetuates a cycle of criminal justice involvement, diverts attention from more serious crimes, and does not necessarily respond to the underlying causes of the offense," said Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA). "Families suffer the trauma of seeing loved ones arrested and incarcerated, and struggle to provide ongoing and needed support."

Witnesses described the problems that law enforcement, corrections, mental health, and myriad other professionals have when addressing the needs of people with mental illnesses. They detailed how current policies and practices are having an enormous impact on costs to taxpayers, the lives of people with mental illnesses, and the administration of the justice system.

Subcommittee members heard witnesses' consensus that there is a vital need for resources such as the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA) grants to support local and state efforts.

The National GAINS Center released a new resource to help criminal justice agencies and health services providers better understand the standards for protection and disclosure of health information established by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The report, "Dispelling the Myths about Information Sharing between the Mental Health and Criminal Justice Systems," (pdf) offers a concise explanation for why HIPAA privacy rules do not necessarily create significant barriers to information sharing between criminal justice and health services systems.

While it is crucial for corrections agencies and community-based mental health service agencies to protect the confidentiality of the people in their custody or receiving their services, transmission of health and mental health information between these agencies is essential for coordinating continuity of care as a person moves from incarceration to the community. Unfortunately, myths about HIPAA’s privacy rule often impede efforts to improve cross-system collaboration and information sharing. This report describes the requirements for disclosure of protected health information and outlines special rules that corrections facilities must follow under HIPAA. In addition, the report highlights tools made available by HIPAA, such as universal consent forms, which can be used to promote information sharing.

For more information on continuity of care and access to federal benefits, click here, or contact Hope Glassberg.

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• The Florida Mental Health Institute (FMHI), in collaboration with the Council of State Governments Justice Center, the National GAINS Center, and the National Drug Court Institute, is conducting a survey of specialty courts on approaches to people with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. Click here to complete the survey.
  
  
• New publication: Sensitizing Providers to the Effects of Correctional Incarceration on Treatment and Risk Management (SPECTRM) is now available for mental health service providers.
  
  
• New publications: The Washington State Institute for Public Policy recently released three new studies on mental health populations and treatment, including an evaluation of the Washington Dangerous Mentally Ill Offender Law.
  
  
• Save the date: 2007 Crisis Intervention Team “Coming Home to Memphis” National Conference, August 28-30 in Memphis, TN.
  
  
• Call for presentations: Those interested in presenting at the 2007 Crisis Intervention Team “Coming Home to Memphis” National Conference are encouraged to submit their proposals by June 1st.
  
  
• Save the date: "Which Way Out? The Sequential Intercept Model: A Framework for Decriminalizing Mental Illness," November 14-16 in Pittsburgh, PA.