Archive

Multiple agencies, including the police department and housing partners, collaborate to identify people who are experiencing homelessness and connect them to housing supports and other services. … Read More

Trained peer specialists who have experience living with mental illnesses or co-occurring mental illnesses and substance use disorders and have histories of involvement in the criminal justice system provide guidance and support to people with similar experiences who are currently navigating complex systems. These peer specialists also directly facilitate connections… Read More

Community responder programs position health professionals and staff trained in crisis response as first responders to 911 and other emergency calls for service, as well as social disturbances. These teams provide immediate assistance for people experiencing behavioral health (i.e., mental health and substance use) crises, conduct wellness checks, help… Read More

This type of crisis stabilization consists of short-term case management services that seek to reduce a person’s symptoms of mental illness such that they can achieve stability in the community. Ultimately, community-based crisis stabilization reduces or prevents admissions to psychiatric inpatient care, jail, and/or other higher levels of care. … Read More

Reentry centers play an important role for people leaving prison or jail by linking them to behavioral health treatment, housing supports, and other services to support community reintegration. Some reentry centers are co-located at local correctional facilities to ensure that as many people as possible receive supports before reentering… Read More

911 dispatch diversion, sometimes called crisis call diversion, varies across the country. For some communities, this means embedding clinicians in their dispatch centers who can respond to behavioral health crisis calls over the phone and resolve the issue through crisis counseling, needs assessment, or referral to ongoing services. Other… Read More

Jail-based case workers connect incarcerated individuals to treatment and other community-based services upon release from jail. Read More

When a court determines that a defendant is not competent to stand trial, it often directs the defendant to inpatient treatment at the state hospital until competency is restored and they can return to the court. This is not always an efficient use of resources, and the process may take… Read More

Law enforcement and behavioral health agencies collaborate with universities to hire interns who provide clinical support for police-mental health collaborations, such as co-response teams or mobile crisis units. While there are limitations to this approach (e.g., high turnover), these programs can help provide support for mental health professionals and/or fill… Read More