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Johnson County, Iowa, has been working on jail diversion since 2005 and has seen dramatic reductions in its jail population due to the foundation leaders created through the Crim­inal Justice Coordinating Committee (CJCC) and other efforts. Johnson County’s CJCC engages county and city leadership from law enforcement, behavioral health and the courts, as well as state leadership to help drive changes. One way leaders have continued the momentum and changed the community dialogue around these issues is by using data to help tell the story of the individuals they are trying to help and the potential impact of making changes to policies and programs. Read More

Through a culture of collaboration, Johnson County, Kan., has developed numerous systems and processes to help collect, share and use data on individuals who come into contact with their county’s justice and human services systems, including those with behavioral health needs. The county uses these systems and processes to inform policy and funding priorities to better identify individuals with mental health treatment needs and connect them to services. Read More

This webinar discussed strategies for how counties can set their baselines on the Stepping Up Four Key Measures Read More

In this webinar, national and county behavioral health and criminal justice experts and practitioners discuss how they identify people with mental illnesses and co-occurring substance use disorders at jail intake and effective practices for screening and assessing for risk of recidivism. They also outline effective methods to accurately count the number of individuals with mental illnesses in their jails and how they have been able to use this information to inform policy, practice and resource allocation decisions. Read More