Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP)
The JMHCP facilitates collaboration among the criminal justice, juvenile justice, and mental health and substance use treatment systems to better serve people with mental illnesses and to increase public safety.
The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) promotes innovative cross-system collaboration and provides grants directly to states, local governments, and federally recognized Indian tribes. It is designed to improve responses to people with mental illnesses who are involved in the criminal justice system. JMHCP funding requires collaboration with a mental health agency.
JMHCP was authorized by Congress in 2004 through the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA). This grant program is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, and as of December 2019, had awarded more than $121 million in individual awards ranging from $100,000 to $750,000.
Since 2006, 482 JMHCP grants have been awarded to agencies and organizations in 49 U.S. states and territories and the District of Columbia. Grants are used for a broad range of activities, including:
- Police-mental health collaborations and training for law enforcement officials on safely resolving encounters with people experiencing a mental health crises;
- Diversion and alternative sentencing programs;
- Cross-training for criminal justice, mental health and substance use treatment personnel;
- Enhancing access to community-based healthcare services and coverage;
- Community supervision and reentry services; and
- Case management and other direct services.
In addition to its grants, JMHCP funds a number of other activities to support collaboration among the criminal justice, juvenile justice, mental health, and substance use treatment systems, including:
- Mental Health Learning Sites: Ten law enforcement agencies and four court-based sites selected by the CSG Justice Center and BJA to share their expertise with other criminal justice and mental health agencies and organizations.
- County Justice and Behavioral Health Improvement Project: A national initiative that uses qualitative and quantitative research to improve outcomes for people with mental illnesses in county criminal justice systems throughout the country.
- JMHCP Conferences: National events to promote peer learning and collaboration among criminal justice and behavioral health practitioners, policymakers, and experts across the country.
JMHCP News
Key Staff
Sarah Wurzburg
Program Director, Behavioral Health
Sarah
Wurzburg
oversees
technical
assistance
focused
on
behavioral
health,
corrections,
and
reentry,
and
serves
as
the
lead
for
projects
related
to
substance
use
and
reentry.
Previously,
Sarah
was
a
research
analyst
at
the
National
Association
of
State
Alcohol
and
Drug
...
Abuse
Directors,
Inc.,
where
she
was
the
team
lead
for
Youth
and
Women’s
Services,
and
was
the
primary
author
of
research
reports
on
youth
substance
use
disorder
treatment,
driving
under
the
influence,
and
Medicaid.
Sarah
has
also
worked
as
a
juvenile
court
advocate
and
in
community
substance
abuse
prevention.
She
received
her
BA
from
DePauw
University
in
English
writing
and
her
MA
in
social
services
administration
with
a
focus
on
policy
analysis
from
the
University
of
Chicago.
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Allison Upton
Project Manager, Behavioral Health
Allison
Upton
provides
technical
assistance
to
grantees
and
supports
policy
development
and
projects
specializing
in
the
intersection
of
criminal
justice
and
behavioral
health
issues.
Prior
to
joining
the
CSG
Justice
Center,
Allison
worked
at
the
Center
for
Alternative
Sentencing
and
...
Employment
Services
(CASES)
as
the
Director
of
Court
Programs,
where
she
oversaw
the
court
and
community
operations
of
several
alternative-to-incarceration
(ATI)
and
detention
programs
serving
adults
with
behavioral
health
needs
in
New
York
County.
While
at
CASES,
she
developed
a
gender-specific
track
of
ATI
services
for
women
involved
with
the
justice
system
and
provided
training
on
evidence-based
practices
in
screening/assessment
in
justice
settings,
gender-responsive
recidivism
risk
assessment,
trauma-informed
case
management
practices,
and
cognitive-behavioral
group
interventions
aimed
at
minimizing
risk
of
recidivism.
Allison
previously
worked
as
a
staff
psychologist
in
inpatient
services
at
the
Manhattan
Psychiatric
Center
and
as
the
director
of
an
outpatient
programs
at
the
Bronx
Children's
Psychiatric
Center.
She
received
her
BA
from
the
University
of
Miami
and
her
MS
and
PsyD
in
clinical
psychology
from
Nova
Southeastern
University.
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Alexis Lacy
Project Manager, Behavioral Health
Alexis
Lacy
provides
oversight
for
the
Second
Chance
Act
reentry
program
for
adults
with
co-occurring
substance
abuse
and
mental
illnesses
(CSAMI)
grant
track,
provides
training
and
technical
assistance
to
SCA
CSAMI
grantees,
and
supports
various
other
addictions/co-occurring
mental
illnesses
projects.
...
Prior
to
joining
the
CSG
Justice
Center,
Alexis
worked
in
state
and
local
government,
most
recently
serving
as
the
deputy
director
of
the
City
Clerk
&
Clerk
of
Council
Offices
for
the
City
of
Alexandria.
She
also
served
as
a
criminal
justice
specialist
for
Recovery
Courts
with
the
Tennessee
Department
of
Mental
Health
and
Substance
Abuse
Services,
where
she
worked
with
specialty
court
programs
to
implement
and
expand
statewide
behavioral
health
treatment
initiatives.
Alexis
was
also
a
law
clerk
for
a
Circuit
Court
Judge
with
the
Metropolitan
Nashville
Davidson
County
Government.
Alexis
earned
an
MPA,
Nonprofit
Management
Certificate,
and
BS
in
political
science
from
Tennessee
State
University.
Read More