Michael P. Boggs, a Georgia Supreme Court justice, has been appointed chair of The Council of State Governments Justice Center’s Advisory Board.
-
Judges’ and Psychiatrists’ Leadership Initiative
As leaders in their respective fields, judges and psychiatrists are in a unique position to champion initiatives that address the overrepresentation of people with mental illnesses who are involved in the criminal justice system. -
Practical Considerations Related to Release and Sentencing for Defendants Who Have Behavioral Health Needs: A Judicial Guide
This publication and accompanying bench card are designed to assist judges in making informed connections to treatment for people with behavioral health needs who enter their courts. -
Developing a Mental Health Court: An Interdisciplinary Curriculum
Developing a Mental Health Court is a free online multimedia curriculum for individuals and teams seeking to start, maintain, or just learn about mental health courts.
Judges’ and Psychiatrists’ Leadership Initiative
As leaders in their respective fields, judges and psychiatrists are in a unique position to champion initiatives that address the overrepresentation of people with mental illnesses who are involved in the criminal justice system.
Developing a Mental Health Court: An Interdisciplinary Curriculum
Recent Posts
A Message from the Director: Highlights from 2018
I arrived at the CSG Justice Center aware that the field of criminal justice has changed dramatically since our inception in 2007, presenting our organization and others with new challenges and exciting opportunities. As we entered our second decade, I felt that we first needed to be sure we understand who we are, what we stand for, and how we fit into this growing field.
North Dakota Explores Expanding Alternatives to Incarceration and Behavioral Health Services for People in the Criminal Justice System
At a recent North Dakota Justice Reinvestment Oversight Committee meeting, CSG Justice Center staff highlighted recent decreases in prison admissions that resulted from alcohol and drug offenses and probation revocations. These declines seem to be the cause of a 6.5-percent drop in the state’s total prison population in FY2018, which exceeded expectations, and have reinforced the state’s efforts to increase behavioral health services for people in the criminal justice system.
Reentry Programs and the Researchers Who Evaluate Them: What It Takes to Build an Effective Partnership
CSG Justice Center staff spoke with four Second Chance Act Innovations in Reentry Initiative grantees about their experiences fostering effective partnerships between criminal justice practitioners and the researchers evaluating their programs. These programs span the country and the justice system, serving clients within courts, prisons, jails, and in the community.
Outagamie Mental Health Court Celebrates Six Years of Cross-System Collaboration Benefitting Participants, Community
“Part of the success of this has been an openness to identifying how we can do things differently in our community when it comes to mental health care and the criminal justice system,” said Paula Verrett, a NAMI recovery specialist who has worked directly with the OCMHC since its inception.
Announcements
![[Apply Now] STOP Formula Grant Program](https://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/OVW.jpg)
[Apply Now] STOP Formula Grant Program
The grant program supports communities, including American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native villages, in their efforts to develop and strengthen effective responses to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
![[Apply Now] School-Justice Partnerships and Diversion Pathways Certificate Program](https://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Center-for-Juvenile-Justice-Reform-CJJR-square-e1520873847677.jpg)
[Apply Now] School-Justice Partnerships and Diversion Pathways Certificate Program
The program will provide training to help school and district staff, court professionals, law enforcement, and child-serving leaders address the needs of youth involved in—or at risk of entering—the juvenile justice system.
![[Apply Now] Tribal Justice Coordinated Tribal Assistance (CTAS) Training and Technical Assistance Program](https://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Screenshot-2018-04-20-14.27.13-136x130.png)
[Apply Now] Tribal Justice Coordinated Tribal Assistance (CTAS) Training and Technical Assistance Program
The program, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, provides funding to improve tribal jurisdictions’ capacities to respond to violent crime; reduce and control crime associated with substance addictions; and enhance tribal justice systems.
Webinars
Effectively Engaging the Community in Juvenile Record Clearance
The presenters of this webinar discuss overcoming the challenges to effective community engagement and explore ways to increase the number of juvenile record clearances.
Juvenile Defenders and Civil Legal Aid Attorneys Collaborating for Record Clearance
This webinar explores ways that juvenile defenders and civil legal aid attorneys can partner to share expertise and provide essential legal representation for youth facing the collateral consequences of having criminal records.
Supporting People with Serious Mental Illnesses and Reducing Their Risk of Contact with the Criminal Justice System
This webinar provides an overview of the primer, Supporting People with Serious Mental Illnesses and Reducing Their Risk of Contact with the Criminal Justice System, a resource designed to help familiarize psychiatrists with the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) Model—which is used by criminal justice professionals to identify the factors that contribute to a person’s risk of recidivism and tailor interventions based on the identified factors—and provide information on ways psychiatrists can help address the particular needs of this population.
Publications
Prosecutors and Frequent Utilizers: How Can Prosecutors Better Address the Needs of People Who Frequently Interact with the Criminal Justice and Other Social Systems?
This publication from the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution outlines how prosecutors can better serve the needs of those who frequently interact with the criminal justice and other social systems by implementing collaborative and community-centered solutions.
The Council of Accountability Court Judges: Processes and Outcomes
This report highlights the role that accountability courts—such as drug, mental health, veterans treatment, and other courts—play in reducing recidivism in Georgia.
Civil Commitment and the Mental Health Care Continuum: Historical Trends and Principles for Law and Practice
This publication provides guidance to help assist state policymakers and practitioners in reforming, implementing, and appropriately targeting commitment law and practice—both inpatient and outpatient—to adults with serious mental illnesses.
Recent Headlines
Can Prosecutors Help Break the Cycle of Recidivism?
What if prosecutors were deeply involved from the beginning of the process, and used their authority to ensure that offenders’ personal and social circumstances—homelessness, drug addiction, poverty—were taken into account when deciding how they should be handled in the justice system, or even whether they should be dealt with outside the system altogether?
Editorial: Is Bail Reform Dangerous? What the Data Really Says
A federal judge ordered Harris County to overhaul our unconstitutional misdemeanor bail system in 2017, and last year Houston saw violent crime decline by 10 percent.
County ‘Stepping Up’ to Help the Mentally Ill
On Monday, Cleveland County became one of a handful of Oklahoma counties to pass a Stepping Up resolution to commit to reducing the number of people with mental illness in jail. According to the Stepping Up website, Cleveland County may be only the third in the state to adopt this resolution, with the other two being Grant and Tulsa counties.
In This Ohio Courthouse, Addiction Treatment Is Just down the Hall
Franklin County Municipal Court judges say most misdemeanor crime cases they see can be tied to the opioid epidemic. Those judges, the City Attorney, and probation officers all hope the treatment clinic can help.