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The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) supports communities across the country in their work to address overrepresentation of people with behavioral health needs in the criminal justice system. For five years, between 2015 and 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance… Read More

Individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) have long advocated for addressing disparities in the behavioral health and criminal justice systems. Such pervasive inequities can be complex to understand and overwhelming to counties that are just starting to confront them. The Stepping Up framework offers a… Read More

Across the country, county criminal justice, behavioral health, and social service system leaders are grappling with reducing the number of people with serious mental illness (SMI) in criminal justice systems, including county jails, often by using “front-end” strategies. Counties frequently struggle with using data to gauge the impact of these strategies on reducing the number of people with SMI in jails. One challenge for obtaining baseline data on SMI in jails centers on contracted private medical providers and their role in collecting and sharing data on SMI. This virtual discussion will equip participants with knowledge about the role contracted medical providers have in either screening for SMI, assessing for SMI, or both; collecting and sharing data with jail administration and how contracts can support this process; and best practices for screening, assessment, and collecting and sharing data for contracts with third-party medical providers. Jail administrators, jail data analysts, and staff from jail medical and mental health providers are especially encouraged to attend this webinar. Read More

Across the country, communities struggle to address the high number of people with serious mental illnesses (SMI) cycling through their local criminal justice systems. The CSG Justice Center partnered with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) Mental Health and Justice Advisory Committee to conduct a statewide policy scan. The purpose of the scan was to identify opportunities for the state to help counties continue to reduce the number of people with SMI in local criminal justice systems—especially county jails. CSG Justice Center staff made recommendations rooted in research and best practices with proposed action items. These recommendations focus on three priority areas: (1) improving local capacity to collect data and share information, (2) increasing local diversion as early as possible, and (3) increasing local availability of and connections to housing. (Photo credit: Schindlerdigital, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons) Read More

How can local justice systems reduce the prevalence of serious mental illness in their populations? This brief from the Stepping Up partners supports counties in setting targets for reducing the number of people with serious mental illness in their jails, measuring progress toward meeting these targets, and achieving results. With suggested minimum goals, tips, and calculation formulas, this guidance positions counties to realize system improvements from one year to the next. Read More

In Focus: Collecting and Analyzing Baseline Data is a new brief from the Stepping Up partners designed to help counties collect and analyze baseline data on the prevalence of people in their jails who have serious mental illnesses (SMI), specifically along the recommended four key measures: (1) the number of people booked into jail who have SMI; (2) their average length of stay in jail; (3) the percentage of people with SMI who are connected to treatment; and (4) their recidivism rates. Once collected, these baseline data allow county leaders to identify the system improvements and programs needed to reduce the number of people in jail who have SMI and provide benchmarks against which progress can be measured. Read More