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: Innovations in Supervision Initiative–Community Corrections-Led Violence Reduction Grant Program
This grant program is inviting proposals from states, localities, and federally recognized tribal jurisdictions to serve as models for probation and/or parole partnerships with law enforcement and/or prosecuting agencies to reduce violent crime and recidivism among people under supervision.
Apply Now: “How Being Trauma-Informed Improves Criminal Justice System Responses” Train-the-Trainer Events for Individuals
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation, operated by Policy Research Associates, is now soliciting applications from experienced trainers (individuals) who are interested in developing their capacity to provide trauma-informed training in their local agencies/communities.
Apply Now: 2019 Criminal Justice Learning Collaboratives
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s GAINS Center’s learning collaboratives will bring together local teams for an intensive learning, strategic planning, and implementation development process that will address local issues and needs within a behavioral health-related topic area.
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
Sheriffs Addressing the Mental Health Crisis in the Community and in the Jails
This report identifies innovative practices that have proven successful in reducing the arrest and incarceration of individuals living with mental illness in jurisdictions across the country.
Tribal Reentry Advocacy Guide: A Roadmap for Increasing Access to Justice & Opportunity for Tribal Members with Criminal Records through Collaboration & Partnership
This guide shares best practices for providing reentry legal clinics and advocacy support in rural, tribal communities.
Unlocking the Black Box of Prosecution: 7 Critical Decision Points
This publication shows areas where prosecutors are particularly well-equipped to take the lead in helping to change the criminal justice system, from charging through sentencing.
Recent Headlines
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.
For the Mentally Troubled, a Pennsylvania Jail Offers ‘High-Visibility’ Cells
Ashley Adams, the nursing director for Pennsylvania’s Butler County jail, hopes that ultimately people with serious mental health problems have some place other to go other than jails, noting that she is part of a countywide committee involved in “Stepping Up,” a national organization devoted to reducing the number of mentally ill people being put in jail.
Judges Say Mentally Ill Defendants Need Extra Help in Their Courts. Here’s What They’re Doing About It.
A treatment alternative court program allows a misdemeanor defendant who pleads guilty to be transferred to the program for counseling and other support services, rather than punished.
L.A. County District Attorney Establishes Mental Health Division
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has created a new division to expand efforts to help people living with mental illness in the justice system. The mental health division established Wednesday brings together deputy district attorneys with cases involving defendants who have been declared incompetent to stand trial or are seeking alternative sentences due to mental illness.