Aligning Health and Safety: A New Tool for States to Transform Behavioral Health and Justice Systems

Hosted by The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) 

In this webinar, The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) will launch Aligning Health and Safety, a new initiative to support states’ efforts to harness local knowledge to transform public health and safety systems. States play a critical role in safely reducing the number of people with behavioral health needs who are entering local justice systems. They are uniquely positioned to unlock a variety of resources and supports for communities to appropriately divert, treat, and support people with behavioral health needs and amplify lessons learned across the state, allowing local efforts to scale up. This webinar will elevate examples of states leading the way in facilitating creative solutions to keep people with behavioral health needs out of local justice systems, setting the stage for what’s possible when state leaders work together to tackle complex problems that no one system, sector, branch, or level of government can solve alone.  

The event will also mark the launch of an exciting new tool for state policymakers. The Aligning Health and Safety State Policy Tool outlines key policy goals that make up the “building blocks” of effective state efforts: Collaboration, Data Collection and Information Sharing, and Aligning Funding. 

Speakers:  

• Ruby Qazilbash, Deputy Director for Policy, BJA 
• Dr. Courtney Harvey, Mental Health Statewide Coordinator & Associate Commissioner, Office of Mental Health Coordination, Texas Health and Human Services
• Scott Block, Statewide Behavioral Health Administrator, Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts
• Kristi Taylor, Executive Director, Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health
• Hallie Fader-Towe, Interim Director, Behavioral Health, CSG Justice Center
• Katie Holihen, Senior Policy Analyst, Behavioral Health, CSG Justice Center