“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.
Recently, the U.S. Congress approved the $1.3 trillion Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus Appropriations bill that would set government funding through Sep. 30, 2018. The bill provides $30.3 billion for the Department of Justice and includes $2.9 billion for various state and local law enforcement assistance grant programs.
Victim restitution can be a vitally important part of a crime victim’s recovery, yet is often poorly understood and managed by states. Very few states have been able to show substantial progress in improving restitution, but Hawaii has done so and has the data to prove it. This success story was highlighted at the National Association of Attorneys General annual winter meeting in February in Washington, DC, in the panel discussion “Helping Crime Victims Recover from Financial Losses.”
The Council of State Governments (CSG) recently announced that Megan Quattlebaum, research scholar in law at Yale University Law School and lecturer in law at Columbia University Law School, will be the next director of The CSG Justice Center.
The Judges and Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative released Practical Considerations Related to Release and Sentencing for Defendants Who Have Behavioral Health Needs: A Judicial Guide and an accompanying bench card, resources designed to assist judges in making informed connections to treatment for people who have behavioral health needs that enter their courts.
Funding under this grant program can be used by states to develop or supplement existing training and/or professional development that is tailored to the unique needs and challenges related to juvenile prosecution.
The program provides funding for agencies to enhance pre-existing drug courts or implement new drug courts for youth in the juvenile justice system who have substance addictions or co-occurring substance addictions and mental illnesses, including histories of trauma.
Judicial Work at the Interface of Mental Health and Criminal Justice is a four-hour live interactive training designed for all judges who hear criminal cases. The program was created by judges and psychiatrists working in partnership with the American Psychiatric Association Foundation and the CSG Justice Center with input from The National Judicial College and SAMHSA’s GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation.
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.
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.
During this webinar, judges and other court personnel learn about the tips for recognizing indications of a mental illness and/or substance use disorder in the courtroom, the process for treatment recommendation and referral for defendants with behavioral health needs, and how to collaborate with behavioral health care providers in their communities
This publication from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation examines how public safety personnel, health professionals, and service providers can contribute to solving the problem of Frequent Utilizers—those who cycle in and out of jails, hospitals, shelters, and other social service programs at a startlingly high rate.
This publication from the Texas Public Policy Foundation examines the decades-long growth in rural pretrial incarceration, unveiling growth contributors and making evidence-based recommendations to improve public safety while reducing the number of defendants held on pretrial detention.
This grant report from the National Institute of Justice summarizes findings from a study of 16 prosecutor-led diversion programs. Researchers found reductions in convictions, jail sentences, and rearrests for up to 24 months in three programs.
Sebastian County, Arkansas is in the process of securing grants funds for a mental health court, which will function hand-in-hand with the newly opened Crisis Stabilization Unit in Fort Smith. Last year, Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a bill to set up procedures and rules for judicial districts to create mental health specialty courts.
About 1 in 3 people in the Tulsa County jail have a mental illness, according to Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Casey Roebuck. The county has mental health pods, which are specially designed for such people and have trained staff, but Roebuck said they often are at capacity.
“Research has proven that the arts dramatically improve outcomes for young people who are involved with the juvenile justice system,” says Rebecca Kinslow, community and organizational development director for the Metro Nashville Arts Commission. “Intensive arts participation improves education performance, civic participation and contributes to social emotional learning.”
Representatives signed what they called a Partnership Agreement Community Teams with Schools document that outlines strategies for addressing student misconduct.