Enhancing Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice Partnerships Through Cross-Training

Hosted by The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), and Policy Research Associates, Inc (PRA)

As criminal justice and behavioral health system stakeholders are beginning to partner more to create effective responses for people with behavioral health needs who encounter the justice system, they are also learning more about the need for effective collaboration management and for cross-training. Cross-training, specifically, enables team members/stakeholders to learn about the processes, key topics, and best practices of both systems, which ultimately creates better lines of communication and appreciation of each other’s work and ideally leads to better outcomes for participants.

This webinar discusses the importance of cross-training among behavioral health and criminal justice partners to better address the needs of this population. It also discusses both the challenges and benefits to these partnerships and feature on-the-ground examples from behavioral health and criminal justice agencies already engaging in these efforts.

Speakers:

• Kevin F. Coppinger, Sheriff, Essex County (MA) Sheriff’s Office
• Maria Fryer, Policy Advisor, BJA
• Ethan Kelly, Senior Policy Analyst, CSG Justice Center
• Melissa Stein, Senior Research Associate, PRA
• Wayne Young, Chief Executive Officer, The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD (Houston, TX)

Photo by You X Ventures on Unsplash